Momswap Rises
by Comicfan97
Summary: What if, instead of Rose Quartz leading Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl, she led Peridot, Lapis, and Jasper? What if the personalities of Dipper and Mabel, and Steven and Connie swapped, respectively? What if Ford wasn't the twin that fell into the portal thirty years ago? Find out with this alternative fusion of when magic and mystery unite... (Permission and cover art by Minijen)
1. New Friends

**ANL Hello, everyone. I recently received permission by Minijen to write this story based on one of her AUs, specifically Gravity Rises/Momswap. This is one of the greatest writing honors I have ever received, so let's get started.**

 **Now, with that out of the way, the adventure begins.**

Momswap Rises

Chapter 1: New Friends

 **Pines Family House (Front Yard) 3:30 PM**

It was a cold, sunny day in Piedmont, California, but it was no ordinary day. Today was the last day of school, which meant the start of winter vacation; the longest time away from school. As such, the children were ecstatic, which extended to the bus ride home, especially for the twins, Dipper and Mabel Pines.

Dipper was a twelve-year-old boy with fair skin, short brown hair that obscured his birthmark, and brown eyes. He wore a dark blue t-shirt with a yellow collar that had a matching shooting star symbol over a long sleeved yellow shirt, black shorts, white socks with a red stripe, and red tennis shoes.

Mabel was a twelve-year-old girl with fair skin, silver braces in her mouth, long brown hair with a red hair band, and brown eyes. She wore a brown coat with faux-fur lining that remained unzipped to reveal her large white shirt with a blue collar and a matching pine tree symbol. She also wore black leggings and brown boots.

"Oh, man, this is going to be the best winter ever!" Dipper yelled ecstatically to his older twin sister.

"Chill out, Dip. Do you want to lose your voice again?" Mabel asked halfheartedly.

"It'll totally be worth it, Mabel! Mark my words sis, this is going to be an epic winter vacation for us!" Dipper yelled, undeterred by his sister's comment.

"Yeah, in case you're forgetting, that's what you said during the last vacation, and we basically just lounged around the house the entire time." Mabel deadpanned, only for Dipper to playfully bop her nose, much to her annoyance.

"Aw, stop being such a spoilsport, Mabel! I guarantee you: things are going to be different!" Dipper said confidently as the bus stopped in front of their family home.

"Dipper, Mabel, time to get off." The bus driver said, which allowed Dipper and Mabel to retrieve their respective backpacks as they disembarked the bus and headed towards their two-story house.

Mabel good-naturedly scoffed from Dipper's earlier comment and said, "Come on, Dip; what are the odds that something like _**that's**_ ever going to happen?"

 **Speedy Beaver Bus 8:30 AM**

Mabel's eyes were widened with what could only be described as pure irony. Yesterday, after she'd ignored Dipper's premonitions of having a fun winter break, their parents told them they had to spend winter break with their reclusive great-uncle, or grunkle, Stanford "Ford" Pines, who lived all the way in some town called Gravity Falls, which was in Oregon.

Their parent's reasoning for this was so that they could finally have some fun and adventure during their vacation. Still, Mabel had attempted to suggest winter camp, but the arrangements were already made for tomorrow morning, much to her chagrin.

It wasn't that Mabel didn't care for her family, but she nor Dipper had ever gone so far from home before. While having Dipper along for the ride mitigated the homesickness, she endured her younger brother's occasionally annoying optimism.

"Oh, wipe that frown off your face, Mabel! We've got a whole winter to spend in Gravity Falls! You should be happy!" Dipper yelled happily.

"That's easy for you to say; you're always happy." Mabel lightly deadpanned.

"And why wouldn't I be?" Dipper asked, ignoring Mabel's comment. He then excitedly listed, "It's a new town, full of potential new friends…not to mention some local girls."

"Oh, boy. Are you still on that whole, 'winter romance', thing you've been trying for the past three winters?" Mabel asked as she lightly chuckled from her brother's previously failed attempts.

"Hey, they totally could've worked!" Dipper defended as he formed a confident smile and declared, "But now, there's a whole new field for me to play in, so I say, 'play ball!'!"

"Whatever, you sweet goof-bag. Romance is a waste of time." Mabel lightly mocked as she gave him a friendly punch to the arm. She then formed a somewhat sarcastic expression and said, "I'll tell you what: if I _**somehow**_ get a crush on someone while we're in Gravity Falls, I'll do any chores you have for a week. Sound good?"

"It's a deal, Mabel!" Dipper said excitedly as he shook his sister's hand, solidifying their deal. He then declared, "Next stop: Gravity Falls!"

"Uh, that's about eight hours away." The bus driver pointed out, much to Dipper's brief disappointment.

"Oh, well. Let's play some car games! Or more fitting, bus games!" Dipper declared excitedly, which made Mabel's eyes widen from anxiety.

"Kill me, now." Mabel mouthed to the ceiling.

 **Ford's House (Front Yard) 4:50 PM**

It had been a long journey for the twins, but more so for Mabel, as they finally arrived at their Grunkle Ford's house in the woods. Mabel had spent the entirety of the trip playing Dipper's car games, which while she knew he meant well, drove her insane. If it wasn't for the bathroom breaks, she would've been tempted to rip off her own ears to escape from her brother's unintentional wrath.

As such, she had wide, unblinking eyes and a forced smile on her face as she disembarked with Dipper, each of them carrying their respective luggage as they approached their Great-Uncle Ford's house.

Ford's house appeared to be an ordinary, two-story wooden shack that was kept in a surprisingly pristine condition, considering that their parents told them that Ford owned the home for over thirty years. Dipper and Mabel walked up the porch steps and knocked on the large, wooden door. When it opened, Dipper and Mabel finally saw their Grunkle Ford in the flesh. While they knew what, he looked like from pictures, they couldn't help but gasp when they met him face-to-face.

Ford was an elderly man in his sixties with fair skin, dark gray hair with a horizontal silver streak along the side of it, unusually long sideburns, a cleft chin, and a slight five o'clock shadow. He wore a pair of glasses, an open, light brown coat with a black pen in the right shirt pocket, a long-sleeved dress shirt with a brown sweater vest over it, and long, black pants with matching shoes. Oddly, he had two six-fingered hands, a sight that amazed Dipper and Mabel.

There was a somewhat eerie silence in the air as the twins anxiously gazed at the somewhat intimidating sight of Ford. While social awkwardness was expected of Mabel, even Dipper couldn't think of anything to say. They had no knowledge on what their Grunkle Ford was like, only knowing that he'd been living alone in the woods for over thirty years. As the two stared in anticipation, Ford smiled and broke the silence.

Ford bent down and gently extended his right hand to the twins. He then sincerely said, "Hi, I'm your Great-Uncle Ford. It's nice to meet you."

Dipper and Mabel stared at the old man's gesture for a few moments before Dipper took it first and shook his hand. His previous anxiety washed away as he felt the unfamiliar sensation of a six-fingered handshake.

"Whoa, a six-fingered handshake. That's like, a finger friendlier than normal!" Dipper said in amazement, which made Ford chuckle warmly.

"I like you, kid. You're weird." Ford complimented as he ended the handshake and extended his hand to Mabel, who took it after a few moments of hesitation.

"Huh, it does feel friendlier than normal." Mabel admitted, which made Ford smile as he ended the handshake and got back on his feet.

"Now then, let's get you kids settled in the attic." Ford said warmly as he led them inside the house.

"Wait, we have to live in the attic?" Mabel thought to herself.

 **Ford's House 2** **nd** **Floor (Attic) 5:00 PM**

After properly introducing themselves to their Grunkle Ford, the twins arrived at what would be their room for the rest of winter break. There were two beds on each side of the attic, which had a window in the center wall. Dipper claimed the right bed while Mabel attempted to claim the left, only to notice that she had an unexpected guest on it…one that walked on four legs.

Mabel stared incredulously at the small, mountain goat that was on her bed and snidely said, "And there's a goat on my bed." She then turned to her twin brother and asked, "Hey, Dip. Want to trade?"

"As fun as it would be to have a goat bunkmate, got to pass on that, sis. I just marked my territory." Dipper proudly said as he pointed towards several posters of the Icelandic, pop sensation of BABBA he'd somehow put up mere moments after claiming his bed.

"I will never understand how you're able to do that, Dip." Mabel remarked apathetically.

"And I'll never tell you! Besides, Gompers is just part of the fun here!" Dipper exclaimed, instantly naming the trespassing goat. He then revealed his splinter-covered hands, which did nothing to deter his smile as he exclaimed, "Check out all these splinters!"

Mabel groaned in exasperation and softly said to herself, "Welcome to the most boring winter of your life, Mabel Andrea Pines."

 **Crystal Temple (Steven's Room) 5:05 PM**

The Crystal Temple appeared to be nothing more than a landmark for the already strange town of Gravity Falls, Oregon. It was a statue of a towering, mystical woman with two faces, and eight arms. In one of its hands, gently cradled the home of Steven Universe, the sole male and youngest member of the Crystal Gems, the guardians of Gravity Falls.

Steven appeared to be a somewhat stocky, twelve-year-old boy, with short, bushy black hair, and black eyes. He wore a bright pink polo shirt with a yellow star stitched into the left pectoral, a salmon-pink undershirt, blue jeans that were rolled up to expose his ankles, and salmon-pink-and white shoes.

He'd been waiting on the Gems to return from their latest mission after he noticed that they left without him again when he was sleeping. It wasn't that he was particularly thrilled to join them, but their constant habit of leaving him out of the action made the young boy feel inadequate.

Granted, he did manage to summon his mother's shield from the pink gem embedded in his navel once before, but Peridot was always vocal about not letting him attend on the more dangerous missions. It wasn't that she didn't think he was capable, but she just didn't want him to get hurt.

As such, he halfheartedly stared at the crystalline warp pad in the center of the room. He silently timed it before a tunnel of light emerged, right on its usual schedule. When the light faded, the other three members of the Crystal Gems emerged from it, Peridot, Lapis, and Jasper.

Peridot appeared to be a tall and slender lime-green skinned woman with yellow green hair stylized into a wavy, triangular shape and a clear, light green visor over her green eyes, conveniently missing the green, triangular gem in her forehead. She wore a sleeveless, dark green V-neck uniform with a large, green star on her right pectoral that had a yellow outline and dark green pants with a black waist that had a light green star on her right hip and two small, yellow stars on her knees. She also wore differing shades of green and black arm straps on her upper arms. Oddly, her forearms and feet were covered in a lime-green-and-black armor, which gave her artificial, lime-green fingers that floated closely to where her hands should've been.

Lapis appeared to be a tall and slender light blue-skinned woman with wavy, dark blue hair stylized into a bob-cut. She wore a sleeveless dark blue vest with a matching bow on her back, tied so as not to obscure her dark blue, teardrop-shaped gem, underneath a light blue waistcoat with a dark blue trim and a light blue star in the center, which was tied to her waist with a purple sash, and a knee-length dark blue skirt. She also wore differing shades of blue leg straps that started low on her legs and ended at her ankles and light blue sandals.

Jasper appeared to be a tall and muscular tangerine-skinned woman with long, wavy white hair, reddish-orange markings on her face, arms, and legs, and amber eyes. She wore a sleeveless, light brown uniform with a black trim, a black sash around her waist, and dark brown shorts. She also wore black leg straps and brown shoes with black soles. Oddly, where her nose should have been, there was an orange, triangular gemstone with a faceted bottom, which gave it a diamond-like shape.

Currently, Peridot was disapprovingly glaring at Lapis, who had a bored, uninterested expression on her face.

"Lapis, that was an insanely risky move! You could've washed me and Jasper to the ends of the Earth with that tidal wave!" Peridot chastised.

"Hey, I dried you guys off, didn't I?" Lapis apathetically defended.

"That's not the point, Lapis. I understand how strong you are, but you have to know when to show restraint." Jasper firmly stated.

"Aw, stop being such a buzzkill, Jasper." Lapis said good-naturedly before she playfully spanked Peridot's butt, much to green Gem's embarrassment.

"Stop that! You know I don't like it when you do that!" Peridot whined.

"You know that's a lie." Lapis said with a flirtatious tone, one that made Peridot form a light green blush.

"I hate it when you do that." Peridot grumbled to herself as the group disembarked the warp pad, where they turned their gaze to see Steven on his bed, curled up with his latest literary find from the library, _The Advantages of Being Invisible_.

While the Gems unquestionably cared for their young protégé, they had their own ways of expressing it. Peridot would silently observe him to make sure he was safe whenever she wasn't on missions, Jasper put up a tough demeanor, but that always faded away whenever she saw him, enough to usually verbally express herself, but Lapis' way of showing how she cared…

"The Lapis Express is coming into the station!" Lapis yelled excitedly as she summoned literal water wings from her back and flew up to Steven. She then scooped him up in a loving embrace that pulled him from his book, much to the young boy's displeasure.

"Aw, Lapis! I was just getting to the good part!" Steven complained, but that did nothing to falter Lapis' innocent smile.

"Oh, you'll get back to your book, but what are the magic words?" Lapis asked playfully, much to Steven's annoyance.

"Please, Lappy?" Steven said in exasperation, which allowed Lapis to float back down and sit upon the bed with him, retracting her wings as she did so.

"That's my perfect boy." Lapis said sincerely as she gently kissed his forehead, an act that the young boy was still embarrassed by.

"Aw, Lapis!" Steven halfheartedly complained as he formed a small smile.

"I swear, one day you are going to get him killed with that kind of affection, Lapis." Peridot lightly chastised as she walked up alongside Jasper and sat around Steven's bed, much to the young boy's discomfort.

"Guys, I kind of prefer it one at a time, remember?" Steven said nervously.

"Maybe, but that won't save you from the tickle monster!" Peridot exclaimed as her artificial fingers started to lightly tickle Steven, which made the young boy laugh uproariously.

"Oh, come on! Not the tickle monster, again!" Steven protested through his laughter.

"Yeah, you know what happens to monsters around my cub!" Jasper boasted as she playfully flicked away Peridot's artificial fingers, which sent them back at the green Gem's face.

While Peridot would've ordinarily had an angered expression on her face, she only smiled since it was part of the act. When all her fingers were back, she rearranged them to their proper place, much to Steven's relief.

After the ensuing, friendly chaos, Lapis formed a quizzical expression towards Steven and asked, "So, you have any plans for what to do during your first day of winter break?"

"Eh, probably going to finish this book." Steven bluntly answered, which made the Gems form somewhat concerned expressions.

While they knew that Steven had a hard time ever coming out of his shell, they'd secretly hoped that he would've grown out of it by now. True, he did often hang out with his father at his car wash job, but Steven refused to pay much attention to any of the kids close to his age…with one recent exception.

The Gems were ecstatic after Steven met the breath of fresh air that was Connie Maheswaran, even though the circumstances were accidental. Based on Steven's summary, he'd been on his daily bike ride when he saw her running from a stampede of wild, Caledonian Boars. In a rare feat of courage, he leapt into the fray and safely encapsulated her in an indestructible, pink bubble he made from his gem. Unfortunately, he'd accidentally trapped himself alongside her, which led to some crazy hijinks trying to free themselves from it.

Connie's ideas for freedom were somewhat nonsensical and she ignored Steven's advice to wait for the Gems to help them, which ended with them catapulted into Gravity Falls Lake. Thankfully, Steven somehow saved the day and freed himself and Connie from the bubble. Unfortunately, it led to the duo facing off against the worm monster responsible for the then-recent earthquakes, but they came out on top.

As such, the Gems were confused because even though Connie had given him his number, he hadn't called her since. It wasn't that Steven didn't care for her after their adventure, but he'd never had anyone close to his age to really talk to. Especially one that Lapis knew had the potential to be more than just a friend.

"Hey, why don't you call that girl you saved, last week? She seemed to be a fun one, if memory serves." Lapis suggested, gently nudging her surrogate son.

The memory of Connie made Steven shyly blush as he twiddled his thumbs in embarrassment. "Well, I don't know about that. We kind of…barely know each other, you know?" Steven said nervously.

Peridot stared at Steven's display in confusion and asked, "Steven, why are you blushing?"

"Oh, no reason!" Steven badly defended, which made Lapis push the initiative further.

"Oh, because it looks like to me that you _**want**_ her to join you. Being so close, fighting side-by-side, inches away from her tempting beauty…" Lapis said teasingly, which made Steven blush even harder.

"I-I-It's not like that, Lapis! Connie's way out of my league!" Steven accidentally revealed, much to Jasper and Lapis' amusement.

"Aw, my little cub's growing up! You're finally noticing girls!" Jasper praised and then formed an awkward expression. "I mean, not that there's anything wrong if you wanted to have boys, or whatever."

"Why would I want boys?" Steven asked, his embarrassment replaced with confusion.

"We'll tell you when you're older!" the Gems hastily said simultaneously, much to Steven's amusement.

"Oh, looks like the tables have turned." Steven said smugly, only for him to suddenly take out his cellphone as he punched in Connie's number. As he heard the phone ring, he embraced his guardians in a warm hug and said, "Thanks for helping me, guys."

The Gems stared at their young protégé for a few moments before they gleefully returned the embrace, only ending it when Steven heard Connie's voice on the other line.

"Uh, hi, Connie. Do you want to hang out, today?" Steven asked, somewhat nervously as the Gems stared in anticipation of her answer.

Soon enough, Connie gave her answer; _"I'd love to."_

 **Ford's House (1** **st** **Floor) 5:15 PM**

After she'd chased the goat away, Mabel and Dipper had successfully moved in to their new beds for the rest of winter break. As such, they decided to explore their new home, specifically the first floor.

While she didn't expect much, she was pleasantly surprised with the several inventions that their Grunkle Ford had made as well as hopefully deceased specimens he'd collected from the strange town of Gravity Falls. They were scattered neatly throughout most of the first floor, but it stopped before it entered the kitchen. Since they weren't labeled, the twins had no idea what they did or what they were.

Being the boldest of the duo, Dipper extended his hand towards a skeleton's dog-like skull that retained its sharp teeth from whatever it was in life. However, before he could touch it, Ford arrived from the other room and gasped in shock. He quickly grabbed to young boy and set him down, far away from the skull.

"Are you insane?! Do you want to turn into a werewolf?!" Ford yelled incredulously, much to Dipper's confusion.

"Wait, werewolves?" Dipper asked, which made Ford clear his throat in embarrassment.

"Oh, dear. I suppose it's better for you two to know sooner rather than later." Ford admitted as knelt to their eyelevel.

"What are you talking about, Grunkle Ford?" Mabel asked, her curiosity piqued from his comment.

Ford sighed deeply and said, "Dipper and Mabel, the short answer is: there's monsters and oddities that inhabit Gravity Falls. I've spent the last thirty years researching them, but this is as much as I've done." Ford then gestured towards his captured specimens, before he rubbed his temples. "All I know is what they are, but nothing else. I feel like there should be more that I know, but it's like…something's missing."

Mabel and Dipper eyed each other caustically. While Mabel had been intrigued with the idea that there were supernatural creatures in this town, clearly their Grunkle Ford knew nothing about them. In fact, all these specimens were probably fake, but they could tell that there was something going on with his mind, so they silently agreed to humor him for now.

"That's okay, Grunkle Ford. We'll be careful not to touch any of these…specimens." Mabel vocalized, with Dipper nodding his head in agreement.

With that, the elderly scientist smiled and said, "Thanks, kids." He then cleared his throat as he got up and said, "Well, I'll be in my room, working on some new inventions; something to do until the school year starts and I can go back to teaching physics. You two should go out and see what this town is offering. Just be back before nightfall."

"Wait, you trust us to leave the house…unsupervised?!" Dipper yelled excitedly.

"You haven't given me a reason not to, so I figure it shouldn't be too bad." Ford said warmly as he tousled his great-nephew's hair.

"What about what you mentioned about supernatural creatures?" Mabel asked, though she was merely humoring the man.

"Oh, the more dangerous ones don't come out until nighttime. Besides, you two might make some new winter friends." Ford said encouragingly as he headed back to his room.

With an excited nod, Mabel formed a rare smile as she and her brother left Ford's house in search of adventure, even though there didn't seem to be anything supernatural about Gravity Falls.

 **Gravity Falls (Town Square) 5:20 PM**

It hadn't been too long of a walk into town, with Dipper eagerly taking in the scenery and Mabel doing the same, albeit with less enthusiasm. Given that it was a small town, the twins viewed the several small stores Gravity Falls had to offer.

"Oh, check out all these stores! Funland Arcade, The Big Donut, Greasy's Diner, the Town Hall, that mattress store…this is the greatest!" Dipper exclaimed happily as he pointed them out and engaged in some friendly handshakes with strangers.

"Dipper, tone down the enthusiasm. Shaking stranger's hands is how you got the Flu, remember?" Mabel tersely advised.

"It was worth it! You should try being friendly too, Mabel!" Dipper happily said, which almost made Mabel burst into laughter.

"What, and be a hyperactive goof-ball like you? As if!" Mabel good-naturedly said as she punched her younger brother in his left arm.

"It can pay off. Who knows; maybe you'll finally find the boy of your dreams in this town." Dipper sincerely said as he returned the favor, an act that made the twins smile.

Suddenly, the siblings' antics were interrupted as they heard some hillbilly yell as he ran past them, "Oh, no! The mutant sheep are a 'coming! The mutant sheep are a 'coming!"

While they were certain that he was insane, his statement proved true as a large herd of mutant sheep suddenly emerged from where he was running from, which made the roaming denizens of Gravity Falls scream fearfully as they ran to safety. The sheep appeared to be bright green in color with red eyes and sharp teeth. Dipper and Mabel followed the feeling citizens, but in their haste to escape, Mabel's left foot accidentally got wedged into a large crack in the sidewalk, much to the twins' fear.

"Oh, no! I'll help you, sis!" Dipper yelled frantically as he and Mabel struggled to free her foot from the hole. Unfortunately, her foot was trapped too deep for them to pull it out, even with their combined strength.

"Hey, I need some help!" Mabel yelled frantically to the evacuating townspeople, but they were too frightened to even stop to say something. As such, Dipper and Mabel were forced to continue their efforts without aid, an unfortunate situation since the mutant sheep were coming closer.

"Come on! Let go of my sister, stupid hole!" Dipper yelled in his rare, concerned voice. Mabel formed an uneasy expression on her face from the display. Given their different personalities, Dipper was usually the one in trouble, so Mabel had to intervene and save him. However, neither of them had ever expected the situation to be reversed, and seeing her only brother like this made Mabel's heart sink.

"Dipper…you need to get out of here." Mabel said stoically.

"What?! No way, Mabel! I'm not leaving you like this!" Dipper yelled incredulously.

"If you stay, you'll die with me! Just go!" Mabel yelled concernedly, fighting back her tears.

As Dipper stared at her trapped sister, tears formed in his eyes as he was wracked with uncertainty. If he left, Mabel would die, but if he stayed, he and Mabel would die. Fortunately, his decision was made for him when he heard the wheels of a skateboard arrive, and then heard them screech as the unknown rider stopped in front of them.

He was a sixteen-year-old boy with fair skin, short, black hair, blue eyes, and stubble on his chin. He wore a gray beanie, a brown flannel shirt with the sleeves rolled up to reveal the black tattoos on his forearms, blue jeans, and black shoes. Interestingly, he had black plug earrings and a matching choker. This was Robert "Robbie" Valentino.

"Come with me if you want to live!" Robbie declared as he grabbed Mabel from behind and effortlessly pulled her foot out from the hole. He then grabbed Dipper and skateboarded with the twins into a nearby alley. The trio stayed there as they watched the roaming mutant sheep stampede throughout the town. Thankfully, it didn't last long and when the sheep left, they breathed a sigh of relief.

"Wow, that was a close one!" Dipper exclaimed, breathlessly.

"Yeah, it's a good thing I was here. Those sheep always stampede through the town every five months like that." Robbie stated, only to mentally slap himself as he soon held out his hand to the twins. "The name's Robert, but everyone calls me Robbie."

"Dipper Amadeus Pines, at your service!" Dipper exclaimed cheerfully as he shook his hand.

"Nice to meet you, kid." Robbie said sincerely, only to end the handshake so he could extend it to Mabel. He knelt to her eyelevel and said, "And what's your name, cutie?"

Mabel stared at the teenaged boy and formed a small blush, much to her surprise. She'd never been rescued before by anyone other than her parents when she was younger. Especially not one as surprisingly handsome as Robbie. Still, she noticed that she was staring too long and that Robbie formed a quizzical expression on his face, clearly unsure of why she was staring at him. Not wanting to lose anymore face, Mabel hastily grabbed his hand with both of hers.

"Mabel Andrea Pines! It's nice to meet you!" Mabel frantically shrieked, much to her embarrassment. Thankfully, Robbie only smiled and tousled her hair as finished the awkward handshake and got back up.

"Wait, your last names are 'Pines'? Do you know Prof. Pines?" Robbie asked.

"Yeah, he's our great-uncle, or grunkle for short! We're living with him for the rest of winter break!" Dipper declared, which made Mabel form an embarrassed expression as she hastily clasped her brother's mouth, which Dipper tried to remove.

"Dudes, that's awesome! Prof. Pines is like, my favorite teacher!" Robbie praised, which made Mabel blush warmly.

"You're good at physics, Robbie?" Dipper asked as he finally freed himself from Mabel's vice-like grip.

"Yeah, I was one of the top kids in my grade thanks to Prof. Pines! When you guys see him, tell him I said, 'hi'!" Robbie cheerfully requested as he skateboarded away from the twins, unaware of the blissful smile and blush Mabel had on her face.

However, Dipper looked back at his twin sister and smiled knowingly at her expression. Mabel soon noticed that she hadn't hid her expression in time and hastily turned back to her normal face, but that did nothing to curtail Dipper's smile.

"What are you staring at, Dip?" Mabel asked tersely.

"Oh, nothing! Just…you so lost the bet!" Dipper exclaimed, much to Mabel's ire.

"I didn't. I don't have a crush on Robbie!" Mabel said angrily.

"Oh, okay." Dipper playfully conceded, only to suddenly exclaim as he turned around, "Hey, Robbie's coming back!"

"He is?! How's my hair?!" Mabel yelled frantically as her blush returned, only to suddenly connect the dots as she stared at her younger brother in contempt.

"I believe you owe me a week of chores, sis." Dipper said confidently, only for Mabel to throw a hard punch at his arm, which made Dipper exclaim in pain.

"You say a word about this to anyone, you're dead." Mabel said threateningly, which made Dipper gulp in anxiety as he nodded his head. Soon enough, Mabel's stoic expression returned as she said, "Now then, it seems that Grunkle Ford's specimens may not have been as fake as they seemed."

"Yeah, those were some freaky sheep." Dipper said as he winced from his arm pain.

"Sorry about that, Dip." Mabel said apologetically, only for her expression to turn cryptic as she and Dipper left the alley and saw the destruction brought on by those mutant sheep, "Maybe this town isn't what it seems…"

 **Gravity Falls Forest 5:35 PM**

After making his plans with Connie, Steven went to her house to pick her up, not by car, but with some help from his recently acquired lion, which he named Lion since he couldn't think of anything else after their adventure last month. Lion appeared to be a normal lion, but he had a bright pink coat with a lighter pink mane, an oddity that Steven couldn't help but question since his acquisition. Still, that did nothing to curtail his time with Connie as she traveled alongside him, both on Lion's back as he traversed throughout the forest.

Connie was a twelve-year-old girl with tanned skin, large, waist-length dark brown hair, and black eyes. She wore a light-yellow t-shirt with a dark yellow sun symbol in the middle, blue jeans, and white sandals with salmon-pink straps. Currently, the young girl was smiling eagerly as she took in the sights of the forest.

"Oh, this is so cool! Thanks for bringing me here, Steven!" Connie praised, which made Steven blush slightly.

"It was no problem, Connie. It's nice to get out of the house sometimes, anyway!" Steven said nervously, knowing that he hardly ever ventured into the forest.

While Steven had lived in Gravity Falls his entire life, he hardly ever left the house on his own, and even then, that was to hang out with his dad or grab some food from the nearby donut shop. Steven always felt so scared and isolated from the world whenever he went outside, something that he wanted to change more than anything.

True, the Gems and his dad had done their best to make him feel comfortable when he left the house, but he knew it wouldn't have been enough. It wasn't until he met Connie that the world didn't seem so scary to him. He didn't know exactly what it was about her, but she made him want to come out of his shell more. It seemed ridiculous because they were so different from each other, but it felt…right whenever he was with her.

Suddenly, Lion stopped and growled menacingly at a rustling noise, much to Steven's apprehension, but Connie's excitement.

"Ooh, what kind of supernatural creature could be there? A werewolf, vampire, a were-pire?!" Connie listed excitedly, unaware of Steven's reluctance.

"Uh, you know, maybe we should go back home. It's getting kind of late." Steven said nervously.

"What? Steven, whatever's making that sound, I guarantee you it's something that'll probably change our lives forever!" Connie heartily suggested.

Before Steven could protest any further, Lion suddenly started to run towards the noise, his teeth barred and eyes that glowed pure white. Connie held onto Steven for dear life as Steven did the same with Lion's mane.

"This is awesome _**and**_ terrifying!" Connie yelled excitedly.

"I think it's just terrifying!" Steven yelled fearfully.

Meanwhile, Dipper and Mabel had been exploring nearby, attempting to uncover more mysteries about this town. As such, Dipper threw caution to the wind as he did a handstand and walked alongside Mabel, like that.

"Dipper, you're going to get yourself hurt by walking on your hands." Mabel lightly chastised.

"Oh, live a little, sis! After those mutant sheep, you should be more concerned with whatever other cool mysteries this town has!" Dipper said excitedly.

"Well, so far, it's bupkis, little brother. I'm starting to think that maybe my hunch was off." Mabel admitted, disappointed.

"Oh, turn that frown upside-down, sis! You've never given up before when you had your mind set on something!" Dipper said chipperly as he let himself fall to the ground and got back on his feet.

"Yeah, that's true." Mabel said, her spirits somewhat lifted.

"Trust me, something big is going to happen in these woods and it'll change our lives forever!" Dipper said idealistically as he lovingly embraced his twin sister, only for the duo to hear a growling sound come closer.

"I think you were right!" Mabel said fearfully as Lion emerged from the bushes and leapt to pounce on them.

The twins were caught off-guard by a pink lion of all things in Oregon, but Dipper was pushed out of the way by Mabel, which only allowed Lion to pounce on her. The impact from the strange beast knocked her over with little effort. Dipper was in an absolute panic as he struggled to get up before this creature could devour his sister. Thankfully, a frightened, but hopeful voice intervened before the situation could escalate.

"Lion, get off her! I told you; no attacking random people for no reason!" Steven yelled hastily in a somewhat squeaky voice, that miraculously caused Lion to back off.

Mabel and Dipper sighed in relief as Lion complied and released his grip on the young girl. Dipper quickly rushed to his twin sister's side and helped her up, though the lion still stared at them distrustfully.

"Hey, anyone dead?" Connie bluntly asked as she and Steven descended from Lion's back.

"Uh, no. We're both okay, thanks." Mabel answered, albeit weirded out by the girl's unnecessary question.

"That's good to know. Steven's lion gets out of control sometimes." Connie answered, remembering what Steven told her during their first adventure.

"Whoa, this is _ **your**_ lion?!" Dipper asked excitedly to Steven when Lion calmed down enough, which made Steven form an awkward blush as he ducked his head.

"Uh, y-yeah. I-I-I've had him for like, a month now." Steven nervously answered as he stared at his feet.

"Uh, no offense, but you should keep that thing on a leash. It tried to eat me!" Mabel said tersely, only for Lion to respond in kind with a roar, which made the young girl whimper slightly.

"Oh, he looks and acts scary sometimes, but he's just a big teddy bear underneath that pink fur!" Connie said dismissively as she gently petted Lion's luxurious mane, which the pink creature reluctantly allowed her to do.

"Whoa, he's a bear inside and a lion outside?!" Dipper exclaimed, misinterpreting what Connie meant as he joined in petting him.

"That's not what she meant, Dip." Mabel clarified and then causally put up her hand, "My name's Mabel and the boy petting the lion is my brother, Dipper."

"Oh, yeah! My name's Connie and this is my new friend, Steven!" Connie said as she happily introduced herself and Steven to the twins, even though the most the half-Gem boy could do was quickly raise his hand and put it back down.

"Uh, is there something wrong with him?" Mabel asked as she pointed at Steven.

"Oh, no. He's just really shy." Connie clarified as she stopped petting Lion and went over to the young boy and gently touched his hand. "Hey, it's okay. I'm right here if you need me." Connie said sincerely, which brought a small smile to Steven's face as he lifted his head and saw her sincere expression.

Steven took a few deep breaths before he removed his hand from hers and looked at the twins with a determined expression. "My name is Steven Quartz Universe! I live in that temple on the hill!" Steven nervously declared as he pointed towards the very noticeable statue, one that made Dipper and Mabel gasp in amazement.

"Whoa, I totally didn't see that!" Dipper yelled, amazed.

"You think that we would've. It's like, a stone's-throw away from Grunkle Ford's house." Mabel added.

"Wait, Ford Pines? The one who lives in the shack in the middle of the woods?" Steven asked.

"Yeah, he's our great-uncle, but we call him, grunkle for short." Dipper clarified.

"That's so cool! Peridot and Prof. Pines used to work on a bunch of inventions together!" Steven revealed with a rare, large smile, which quickly faltered as he put his head back down. "Oh, sorry. I'm probably acting like a huge dork or something."

"Nah, I know dorks. I'm related to one!" Dipper exclaimed, much to Mabel's embarrassment.

"I'm not a dork, Dipper! I get like, straight 'A''s every semester!" Mabel defended, only to facepalm when she realized that she wasn't helping her case.

"Like, I said, 'dork'!" Dipper playfully mocked.

"Wait, who's Peridot?" Mabel asked, wanting to change the subject, but also for her curiosity.

"Oh, she and I-I-I are members of the Crystal Gems. It's her, Lapis, Jasper, then me. W-W-We use the magic from our gems to help humanity." Steven nervously revealed as Connie silently took his hand again.

"Wait, magic from your gems?" Mabel asked.

"Yeah, they're located on parts of their bodies!" Connie answered, filling in for the nervous Steven. "Peridot's is in her forehead, Lapis' is in her back, and Jasper's where her nose should be! Steven's gem is in his bellybutton, but he's only half-Gem! His mom was one a long time ago!" Connie revealed and then discretely whispered something in Steven's ear which made the young boy nod.

Steven then lifted his two shirts, blushing slightly as he revealed the gem in his navel, which made Dipper and Mabel exclaim in wonderment.

"Unbelievable…" Mabel said, awestruck.

"It's kind of pretty…" Dipper added, only for him to ask, "So, what does it do?"

As Connie opened her mouth to say it, Steven intervened a second before she could say anything, which was a pleasant surprise for her.

"T-T-The Gems told me that my mom used to do a lot of things with it." Steven revealed as he quickly pulled his shirt down. "But, I'm still learning h-h-how to use it. I've only made a shield and bubble from it, so far."

"The bubble is actually how we met! Steven saved me from a herd of stampeding Caledonian Boars when I tried to take a picture of one for my scrapbook!" Connie added, interjecting Steven.

"Y-Yeah. That was a crazy day, mostly because of your ideas." Steven said good-naturedly as he formed a small blush.

"Hey, it all worked out in the end! We beat that rampaging gem worm monster and saved the town!" Connie exclaimed, the memory of that fight still fresh in her mind.

"Whoa, you guys have been dealing with supernatural stuff, too?!" Mabel exclaimed excitedly. "We just ran away from a rampaging herd of mutant sheep!"

"Oh, yeah. I forgot that they rampage today. Also, they're not the only weird thing in this town." Steven said as he lifted his head once again.

"What could be weirder than rampaging sheep?" Dipper asked dismissively.

"I once ran into this weird sub-species of gnomes that wanted my socks for something. I spent most of the day trying to get those back, and then it turns out that they had no plan for using them. I never did get those socks back, though. They're not like the other gnomes; at least _ **their**_ intentions are clear." Steven answered.

"So, you guys are living with Prof. Pines? Did you just move here, like me?" Connie asked.

"Nah, we're only here for the rest of winter break." Mabel clarified as Dipper formed an adventurous grin.

"You know, maybe there's a reason why we ran into you guys. I think that we have the potential to have some super-fun adventures!" Dipper yelled excitedly.

"Heh, maybe." Steven admitted with a small grin.

"And all we had to do was have Steven's lion almost eat you, Mabel!" Connie said cheerfully, unaware of Mabel's uneasy expression.

"Uh, yeah. And as much as I can't believe I'm saying this, Dipper's right." Mabel admitted and soon formed a rare, hopeful expression. "Who knows? Maybe there's something else in these woods that'll change our lives forever!" Mabel exclaimed as she opened her arms, with one of her hands hitting a tree, which made her briefly wince in pain.

However, when her hand made contact, it let out a hollow sound that made her realize it was metal. She wasn't the only one who'd made that connection as the sound was loud enough for the kids and Lion to hear. Her curiosity getting the better of her, Mabel ran her hand over the metallic surface and found small, hidden hinges on one side of it, almost like a door. She soon felt the edges of what seemed to be a metal panel and with a little effort, pried it open.

The panel creaked open to reveal a small, dust-and-cobwebbed-covered compartment hollowed out into the tree. The only thing inside appeared to be an outward facing button, surrounded by a few smaller buttons and indecipherable letters engraved into the metal walls. The button itself appeared to have a six-fingered hand, exactly like Grunkle Ford's, but there was a pink, rose-like symbol embedded in the palm.

Her curiosity piqued, she turned towards the eager expressions of Dipper, Steven, and Connie, silently urging her to continue. Mabel then turned back and took a deep breath as she pressed the button and watched in anticipation as it sunk into the compartment until it couldn't go down anymore.

The kids spun around in surprise when they heard a soft, rumbling sound behind them, with Lion oddly having a knowing expression. They saw a patch of the forest floor slide back as it revealed a small dugout, apparently due to Mabel pressing the button.

"Whoa…" Mabel whispered to herself in confusion as she, the rest of the kids, and Lion approached the square hole in the ground. When she arrived, she knelt to get a better look and saw that the dugout was apparently abandoned like the tree compartment, with dust and cobwebs covering the sole object within; a book.

Mabel raised a cautious eyebrow to this abandoned tome and gently lifted it out. She blew the dust from its cover to reveal what kind of book it was. Surprisingly, the book was sturdily bound with a rugged, somewhat tattered burgundy leather cover and rounded, golden corners. However, what drew hers and everyone else's eyes, sans Lion's, was the six-fingered hand symbol in gold with a bold number three in black.

Mabel carefully placed the book on the ground and slowly creaked open the front of the book, which revealed a pastedown inscribed with the words, _"Property of…"_ , with the name having been torn out for unknown reasons. On the first page was a circular eyepiece, attached to the binding by a cord, which Mabel examined for a few moments before she turned her attention to the book itself.

Upon turning the page, she found what seemed to be a journal entry, headed with the date, _"June 18"_ , but oddly no year. However, the kids' curiosities, especially Mabel's, were undeterred as she started to read what was on the time-weathered page. _"It's hard to believe that it's been six years since I began studying the strange and wonderful secrets of Gravity Falls, Oregon."_ Her curiosity at an all-time high, Mabel quickly skimmed through the rest of the book, with her and the rest of the kids gasping at the several sketches and photographs that depicted several oddities.

"Whoa, floating eyeballs." Dipper said, amazed.

"I totally want a cursed door." Connie mentioned in an excited whisper.

"Why did there have to be zombies in this book?" Steven said nervously.

"You guys are right; what is all this?" Mabel asked in bewilderment over the mysteries the journal depicted as she stood up so that the rest of the kids could properly view the book, unaware of when the hatch in the tree and on the ground closed on their own.

She finally stopped flipping when they saw a page with a message scrawled at the bottom in big, bold letters, _"TRUST NO ONE!"_. Mabel and the others frowned in apprehension as they wanted to find the reasoning behind this strange warning. Soon enough, she came to the apparent explanation, which she read aloud, _"Unfortunately, my suspicions have been confirmed; I'm being watched. I need to hide this book before HE finds it. I believe in science, but I pray that she'll understand and still be willing to help me. Remember in Gravity Falls, there's no one you can trust."_

After reading this, Mabel slowly closed the book and mused about her findings. However, she wasn't the only one as Dipper, Connie, and Steven formed uneasy expressions from the journal's contents.

"Whoa, this is pretty heavy stuff." Dipper said, understating the author's warnings.

"I haven't even been here for that long. And now, it turns out this town has got a secret dark side." Connie added, with a hint of excitement.

"I've seen some of those creatures, but I-I-I never knew that there were so many in this town." Steven said fearfully.

"Yeah, and that's not the weirdest part. After that page, the rest was blank, like something…happened to the author before he could finish." Mabel stated, her curiosity overwhelming her apprehension.

Suddenly, Lion came closer to Mabel, which made the young girl squeal in apprehension, the memories of his earlier attack still fresh in her mind. He then opened his mouth and attempted to nibble on the book, but Steven intervened before he could.

"Lion, that is not a chew toy! It's an old book full of dangerous secrets!" Steven lightly chastised, which made Lion reluctantly comply with his master's demands.

"Well, what do we do now?" Connie asked.

Suddenly, Dipper snapped his fingers and shot the duo with an eager grin. "Hey, why don't you guys come with us to Grunkle Ford's house? We can totally investigate the journal better there!"

"Uh, maybe." Steven said shyly. "We could always show it to the Gems. They've been around long enough to know what it is, probably."

"Yeah, but Grunkle Ford's house is closer." Dipper pointed out.

"Hmm, you make a good argument, Dipper." Connie said with an eager grin. "Besides, I'd love to meet your grunkle!"

"I-I-I guess I'll go if Connie's going." Steven said nervously as he formed a small blush.

"Well, we need one more vote. Mabel, you in?" Dipper asked.

Mabel stared at the trio with a caustic expression. While she'd said otherwise, the author's message deeply resonated within her. There was no question that she trusted Dipper, and Steven and Connie seemed nice enough to be considered a word that Mabel had hardly ever used in her life; friends. As such, she formed a determined grin and said, "Okay, let's go!"

With that, the group erupted into cheers as Dipper, Steven, and Connie hitched a ride on Lion's back. Mabel would've joined them, but Lion growled at her ferociously when she tried, so she decided to safely walk alongside them to Ford's house.

 **Ford's House 1** **st** **Floor (Living Room) 6:00 PM**

It'd been a relatively short journey back to Ford's house, since most of the time was spent talking, which made it easier to go over there than to the temple. The kids and Lion arrived at the front porch of the house, with Lion having to stay outside due to his size, much to the pink beast's thinly-veiled ire.

"Don't worry, Lion. We'll be back soon." Steven reassured as Dipper and Mabel opened the door for him and Connie.

"Grunkle Ford, we're home and we brought some friends! Oh, and Robbie says 'hi'!" Dipper exclaimed, hoping that Ford would hear him as the group entered the living room.

"That's good! Okay, but bring them upstairs in the attic! The inventions and specimens I have here are highly dangerous!" Ford called back from his room, which made Dipper and Mabel nod.

"Well, you heard the man. To our temporary room!" Dipper exclaimed as the kids went upstairs.

 **Ford's House 2** **nd** **Floor (Attic) 6:03 PM**

Soon enough, the kids had arrived at Dipper and Mabel's room, with Connie eagerly looking at Dipper's _BABBA_ posters and Steven appreciating the normalcy of Mabel's bed.

"Whoa, you like _BABBA_ , too?!" Connie said excitedly. "They're like, my favorite band!"

"Really?!" Dipper yelled excitedly as he then cleared his throat and sung, _"Disco girl…"_

" _Coming through…"_ Connie added.

" _That girl is you. OOH OOOH, OOH OOOH."_ Both sung simultaneously.

Meanwhile, Steven and Mabel had been staring at their display in awe, but Steven formed a small blush when he heard Connie sing for the first time.

"Whoa, you have a nice voice, Connie." Steven complimented, which brought a small blush to the young girl's face.

"Yours has gotten better, Dip." Mabel added, which made Dipper smile.

"Thanks, Steven." Connie said with an odd bashfulness.

"Thanks, Mabel." Dipper said sincerely.

"Now, let's crack open this journal!" Mabel said excitedly as she took it out, for a loud, growling sound to resonate throughout the attic.

"Whoa, was that someone's stomach?" Dipper asked.

Mabel, Steven, and Connie nodded their heads side-to-side, indicating that it wasn't their stomachs. The growling sound soon came back, but with such a force that it made the kids lose their balance and crash onto the floor.

"Is this an earthquake?!" Steven asked fearfully.

"No, whatever it is, it's coming from outside!" Mabel declared as she and the kids struggled to get up.

With that, the kids stumbled a bit as they went downstairs with the intention of figuring out where that sound was coming from.

 **Ford's House (Front Yard) 6:12 PM**

After a few near-falls, the kids finally managed to get out of the house and formed a collective gasp when they saw the creature. It appeared to be a ten-foot tall bear, but it had glowing blue fur, dark yellow eyes, and an azure gem with a pentagonal facet embedded in its navel. Oddly enough, there were several, smaller bears, each with much sharper teeth and claws than the apparent mother's, but not her gem.

"Whoa, what are these things?" Mabel asked inquisitively.

"I'm not sure, but we should get back in the house!" Steven fearfully whispered.

"Aw, look at her cute babies!" Connie gushed, only for one of them to start running towards them, its claws extending several inches as it did so, much to the group's apprehension.

"I don't think it's coming to hug us!" Dipper said fearfully as the group let out collective screams. However, before they could retreat to safety, a bright green energy beam hit the smaller bear creature, which made it poof into harmless blue cloud, much to the group's relief.

They turned their eyes towards whomever shot the creature and were amazed at the sudden arrival of Peridot, Lapis, and Jasper, the latter still having her artificial fingers in the position she used to fire the beam.

"Hey, need some help, kids?" Lapis casually greeted.

"Lapis, Peridot, Jasper, what's going on?!" Steven asked fearfully.

"Listen, little cub, you and the rest of the kids need to get back inside." Jasper said authoritatively.

"Wait, what?! No way! We can help!" Mabel protested.

"Uh, no offense kid, but none of you are Gems and Steven doesn't know how to use his powers properly. We can take care of him, but the rest of you are…a liability." Peridot reasoned, attempting to let them down gently.

Before Mabel could present any other argument, Ford suddenly burst from his door, carrying a red laser samurai sword, apparently there to fight.

"Okay, what's going on here?!" Ford yelled incredulously, only for his expression to falter when he noticed the Gems' presence. "Oh, hello everyone." Ford nervously greeted.

"Ford, it's been so long! I thought you would've perished from old age by now!" Peridot said excitedly, which was a sharp contrast to Lapis and Jasper's apathy to the old scientist's presence.

"It's only been two months, Peridot, but it's…nice to see you again." Ford said, albeit hesitantly towards the end.

"Hi, Prof. Pines! Steven yelled amiably, remembering the old man from his early childhood, which made Ford smile slightly.

"Do you seriously think that little stick's going to have chance against _**that**_?" Lapis said sardonically as she pointed towards the Gem Bear and her cubs.

"Hey, I've been able to take care of myself this long!" Ford pointed out.

"You've been _ **lucky**_ this long, you mean. If memory serves, we used to pull you out of jams all the time." Jasper said dismissively.

"I might be old, but I've still got some fire left in my heart! Besides, it invaded my home; I can attack it, legally!" Ford protested.

"Just go to bed, Ford. We've got this." Lapis said apathetically, which made Ford grumble as he reluctantly deactivated his laser sword as he went back inside, but not before he stopped in front of the kids.

"Well, let's get inside. If you kids need me, I'll be in the kitchen with some ice cream…and a large spoon." Ford said sorrowfully.

"Uh, this is a bad time to mention it, but you're out of ice cream, Grunkle Ford!" Dipper yelled as Ford left, remembering that he'd accidentally dropped the only tub when he and Mabel were exploring the first floor, right before he attempted to touch the dog-like skull.

"Damn it!" Ford loudly whispered to himself as the kids followed him shortly after, knowing that there wasn't anything that they could do against these creatures. While the thought did occur to them to use Lion, he was strangely missing after Steven told him to wait outside.

 **Ford's House 2** **nd** **Floor (Attic) 6:15 PM**

An air of disappointment wafted throughout the room, although it mostly came from Dipper, Mabel, and Connie. Steven was particularly thrilled that he wasn't involved in the battle, but felt somewhat guilty that he allowed his surrogate mothers to do it for him. As such, the group felt the need to do something, but what?

"Oh, this totally sucks! A cool magic fight's happening outside and we can't even watch!" Dipper complained.

"I'm with you on that one. It totally bites!" Connie added.

"I'm kind of interested in what Grunkle Ford's history with the Gems is. They seemed to know each other and that green one seemed happy to see him." Mabel stated, although her expression turned inquisitive, "And what's the blue and orange one's problem with him anyway?"

"I'm not sure, but their names in the order you said are Peridot, Lapis, and Jasper." Steven said, somewhat offended by Mabel's designations.

"Oh, sorry. I wasn't trying to be offensive." Mabel said apologetically.

"It's fine, but don't talk about them like that again." Steven said seriously.

Suddenly, they heard the loud, growling sound come from outside again, but this time it was by the window in the attic, with the Gems apparently having led the mother Gem Bear away from the front yard. Unfortunately, its cubs had done a decent job in defending their mother as she started to heave and gave birth to five new cubs from her mouth, a sight that made most of the kids gag, but Connie smile in excitement.

"Oh, nice!" Connie said excitedly as she took out her phone and snapped a picture of the scene. "This is totally going in my scrapbook!"

"Guys, as grossed out and terrified as I am, I think that we should help them. At this rate, the fight's going to go on forever!" Mabel said determinedly.

"Mabel's right! Besides, if this fight damages the shack, where'll we live for the rest of winter break?!" Dipper exclaimed worriedly, with Mabel rolling her eyes from her younger brother's comment.

"Forget that! I'm a Crystal Gem, too! And that Gem Bear thing's attacking my family!" Steven said with a rare, angered expression.

"Wait, I think I know what might be able to help!" Connie exclaimed. "Mabel, there might be something in the journal about this thing!"

"Connie, that's a great idea!" Mabel said with a rare, enthusiastic grin as she grabbed the journal from underneath her bed and started to flip through the pages, with Dipper, Steven, and Connie joining in as extra eyes.

"Let's see here…" Mabel said as she quickly flipped through the journal's crinkled pages, carefully looking at the illustrations for anything that resembled the ursine creature. "Ghosts…zombies…pancake demons…some weird moss…"

The growling sound resonated throughout the shack as the group, minus Mabel, turned their eyes to see the Gem Bear effortlessly evaded Peridot's laser blasts, Lapis' limited water weapons that she formed by draining some nearby plants of their water, and even Jasper's full-on assault with her crash helmet, the weapon she summoned from her gem. Suddenly, its own claws elongated and started to slash at the Gems, which they were barely able to dodge.

"Uh, I think you need to hurry up, Mabel!" Connie yelled frantically.

"I'm working on it!" Mabel yelled defensively. Thankfully, she soon found the exact page she was looking for. "Alright, I got it!"

The rest of the group was quick to rejoin Mabel as she read the description aloud, with their eyes motioning towards a well-drawn picture of the beast. _"This is one of the most difficult Gem creatures I have ever had the displeasure of encountering. While thankfully rare, the Gem Bear variation is a formidable opponent. In addition to its abnormal ability to retract and elongate its claws, it can give birth to five cubs at once from its mouth. These cubs are individually more of a danger than the mother herself, but they can be defeated easily with long range attacks. Avoid these devilish spawns at close range."_

"Well, it's definitely all that, but does it say anything on how to defeat one?" Dipper asked, realizing that there wasn't anything that they didn't already know.

"Let's find out…" Mabel trailed off as she read the rest of the description aloud. _"While I once thought that the Gem Bear avoided physical violence through heightened senses, I recently witnessed one defeated by the leader of the Crystal Gems, Rose Quartz."_

"Whoa! The author saw my mom take out one of these things?!" Steven yelled in amazement.

"Looks like it. Guess you have a lot to live up to." Connie said good-naturedly, unaware of Steven's brief, uneasy expression from hearing that.

" _Apparently, use of physical violence builds up the Gem Bear's stamina enough so that it can breed. The only way to defeat one is to gently hug the mother Gem Bear, which will cause it to harmlessly poof and allow its Gem to be bubbled to prevent regeneration. WARNING: YOU CANNOT DO THIS WITH ONE OF ITS CUBS AS IT'LL ONLY LEAD TO SEVERE SCARS AND POTENTIAL DISEMBOWELMENT."_ Mabel finished, with her forming an uneasy expression from the author's disturbingly specific warning.

"Whoa, so all it needs is a hug!" Dipper said chipperly.

"That's a pretty weird way of defeating it, but it makes sense since it's so scary!" Steven reasoned.

"Well, let's go hug the giant, vicious bear!" Connie exclaimed excitedly.

"Uh, probably not a good idea. We need one of the Gems to do it." Mabel said caustically, the author's warning still fresh in her mind.

"Good point, Mabel." Connie said, her common sense returning.

 **Ford's House 1** **st** **(Kitchen) 6:20 PM**

With the new knowledge in hand, the kids attempted to leave the house, only for Ford to grab all of them and sat them down in four, individual chairs that sat around the dining room table. When he finished, he had a serious expression on his face.

"You kids aren't leaving this house. It's too dangerous." Ford said authoritatively.

"But, we've got information that can save the day!" Mabel protested.

"I sincerely doubt that, Mabel." Ford said incredulously. "Your parents entrusted yours and Dipper's safety to me and it looks like the more dangerous monsters are coming out early today."

"Well, what about me? That's my family out there, Prof. Pines!" Steven yelled concernedly.

"Exactly, Steven! I have collaborated with Peridot on several inventions, some of which were designed to keep you safe when you were growing up! I cannot, in good conscience, allow you to leave either!" Ford argued.

"Hey, I'm new here! You don't have anything you can use against me!" Connie said confidently.

"Maybe so, but you likely have no experience in dealing with the supernatural or Gem monsters, and given how clearly inept I was, even less than me!" Ford declared, although he rubbed his temples again, which worried Dipper and Mabel.

"Alright, alright. But, if we don't do something, their fight might destroy the shack!" Mabel pointed out.

With that, Ford gasped in rare apprehension. "You're right! There's too much important research down there…in the house!" Ford corrected himself, though he seemed to have some brief clarity when he'd accidently said the former.

"Uh, yeah! We can end this if you'll let us leave!" Dipper suggested as he decided to press the issue.

Ford sighed in resignation as he reluctantly opened the door to the backyard, which was right next to the fridge. "Very well, just hurry before something goes wrong with my head again and come back alive." Ford stated as the kids ran outside to help.

 **Ford's House (Backyard) 6:23 PM**

Meanwhile, the Gems were on the ropes, even more so than they were before. The Gem Bear's attacks had grown faster and left noticeable damage on all of them. Both of Peridot's arm limb enhancers had several gashes, Lapis was running out of stamina from being forced to use her water wings to escape her attacks, and Jasper's crash helmet was cracked from the accidental impacts to nearby trees or rocks. Conversely, the Gem Bear seemed to be thriving from the fight and looked even stronger than she did when it started.

Soon enough, the kids arrived, with Mabel declaring, "Hey, Yogi! You're _**not**_ smarter than the average bear!"

With that, the Gems and the Gem Bear's attention was garnered by the kids, a sight that made the former gasp in apprehension and the latter to growl in anger. Almost immediately, the Gem Bear ran at them, with the Gems frantically trying to catch up.

"Kids, get out of the way!" Jasper yelled fearfully.

"This thing's too dangerous!" Lapis added.

"Steven, it's going to rip you and your delicate human organs to shreds!" Peridot yelled in apprehension.

Suddenly, Mabel opened her arms, with the kids following soon after. When the Gem Bear reached them, before she could slash at them with her claws, Mabel hugged it, which stopped it mere inches from what would've been a fatal blow. The Gem Bear stared in reverence as Dipper, Steven, and Connie joined in the hugging, which made it glow even brighter, much to the Gem's confusion when they noticed this.

Given their respective positions, neither the kids nor the Gems saw what was the slightest of smiles on the Gem Bear's mouth mere moments before it violently exploded into a bright blue puff of smoke. Aside from the kids' hair damage, they were unharmed as Jasper came up and used her magic to place the azure gemstone in a dark orange bubble. She soon waved her hand, which made the bubbled gem disappear once and for all.

"Whoa! That was so cool!" Dipper exclaimed excitedly.

"You know it, Dipper! And I thought that fighting that worm monster was worth bragging about!" Connie added with equal fervor.

"I've never been so terrified in my life…and I liked it!" Steven admitted as he formed a sincere smile.

"That was awesome! We took down a dangerous Gem monster!" Mabel exclaimed eagerly.

When the cheering ended, Steven met the harsh stares of his guardians, a rare sight that made the young boy's smile falter as he gulped anxiously. While he did sometimes get into trouble during missions, he'd never done so on purpose. As such, Steven stared down in anxiety as he awaited his inevitable punishment, only to instead feel the warm and familiar embrace of his guardians.

"You did good, cub. You were stupid, but you did good." Jasper said sincerely, struggling not to cry.

"About time you grew some hair on your chest, Steven!" Lapis praised, though it was obvious that she was on the verge of crying.

"Never do anything that idiotic again!" Peridot yelled as she sobbed madly into Steven's shoulder, much to the boy's embarrassment.

"Guys, I appreciate the concern, but I'm fine!" Steven said playfully as he returned their embrace.

"Something here doesn't add up; why did you rush in like that?" Jasper asked, being able to compose herself first.

"I owe that to my new…friends. They're Dipper and Mabel, Prof. Pines' great niece and nephew." Steven explained with a small smile as he gestured to the duo.

"Uh, I helped too." Connie politely added.

"Yeah, but you're my _**first**_ friend." Steven pointed out, which made Connie form a small blush.

With that, the Gems reluctantly ended their embrace with their young charge and stared at the duo amicably.

"Hi, we're the Crystal Gems. I'm Jasper and that's Lapis and Peridot." Jasper explained as she gestured to the two of them, who politely waved back.

"It's very nice to meet you. Thank you for helping our Steven." Lapis said sincerely.

"Indeed, though I am surprised that Ford never mentioned he had a great niece and nephew." Peridot said, briefly getting off-topic before she formed a quizzical expression when she looked at Mabel, "How did you know that hugging thing would work?"

Before Dipper or Mabel could answer, Jasper intervened.

"It doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is that our little Steven is safe and sound." Jasper said as she lovingly tousled Steven's hair.

"So, you guys deal with this sort of stuff all the time?" Dipper asked.

"Well, not _**all**_ the time. Just daily! I've calculated an average of 22.5 hours a day!" Peridot answered cheerfully, taking Dipper's statement a bit too literally.

"It's a bit demanding, but worth it to keep humans safe, like you guys!" Lapis said with a casual grin.

"So, things have been a little vague, but are guys like, gem-gems?" Mabel asked, unsure on how to phrase it.

"Simplified down to our basic forms, yes we are." Peridot stated eloquently, always eager to tell anything regarding Gem biology to anyone willing to ask. "Unlike you humans, our bodies are just physical manifestations that we create from our gemstones." Peridot explained as she gestured to her own gem.

"So, you guys are like holograms, but with mass?" Mabel asked, still a bit confused with the concept.

"While that is a simplistic term, that's close enough." Peridot admitted as she formed a small grin.

"Hey, Jasper. Nice mass." Lapis said as she playfully elbowed the de-facto leader of the Gems, unaware of Peridot's thinly-veiled jealous scowl.

"I know. I _**am**_ the ultimate Quartz soldier, remember?" Jasper said with a small, amused grin.

"Well, as much as I'd like to stay and catch up with Ford, it's time to go back home, Steven." Peridot said motherly.

"Whoa, you're right." Steven said as he glanced at the almost-completely set sun.

"Yeah, I need to get home too. My parents are going to start getting worried if I stay out too longer." Connie said with a frown, which quickly turned into a smile. "But, we can always hang out tomorrow, and maybe even the day after that!"

"That sounds awesome! Steven, we can totally check out the temple when we come over!" Dipper said excitedly.

"I'd…I'd like that." Steven said with a sincere smile as he turned towards the Gems. "Is that okay with you guys?"

Jasper shrugged indifferently with Peridot and Lapis forming eager expressions, knowing that having more friends would be good for Steven. "I don't see why not. Just try not to get him killed next time, okay?" Jasper said evenly, which made the twins nod in agreement.

"Bye, guys. It was nice meeting you!" Steven yelled back as he left with the Gems, who were followed by Lion who emerged from the nearby woods, apparently having slept through the entire fight.

"I'll see you guys later, too!" Connie yelled back as she left to go home, which was within a reasonable distance on foot.

Soon enough, Ford arrived carrying two mugs of hot chocolate with a sincere expression on his face.

"Well, you kids made it out alive. And to the victors go the spoils!" Ford said cheerfully as he handed them each a mug, which made the twins smile.

"Thanks, Grunkle Ford!" Mabel said sincerely as she drank hers first.

"Ooh, marshmallows!" Dipper said excitedly as he drank his next.

With that, the trio shared a hearty chuckle as they headed back inside, only for Dipper to accidentally trip over a nearby rock, which left him with a small cut on his right leg. The mug shattered upon contact, which miraculously only left Dipper with an additional cut on his left cheek.

"Well, so much for escaping today virtually unscathed." Dipper admitted with a joking smile.

"Thankfully, I have bandages." Ford stated as he carried Dipper back inside, with Mabel following closely as she continued to drink her hot chocolate.

 **Ford's House 2** **nd** **Floor (Attic) 10:00 PM**

After receiving two blue bandages for his cheek and leg, respectively, Dipper and Mabel spent some time hanging out with Ford before they got ready for bed, with Mabel now scribbling down something in one of the journal's blank pages as she sat on her bed in her usual blue pajamas.

" _This journal told me that there was no one in Gravity Falls I could trust. But, when you run away from a herd of mutant sheep, nearly get eaten by a lion, and somehow hug a dangerous Gem monster to death, you realize that you've got a word that I never thought I'd use for someone other than my sweet goof-bag of a brother; a friend. Our Grunkle Ford was right about this town and whoever wrote this journal unlocked so many mysteries and who knows how many are left to solve. Something tells me that Dipper was right; this is going to be an epic winter vacation for us."_ Mabel wrote as she then put her pen away and placed the journal underneath her pillow before she turned off the lantern that illuminated their room.

"Good night, Mabel." Dipper said wearily.

"Good night, Dipper." Mabel said similarly as the twins gently fell asleep.

 **Ford's House 1** **st** **Floor (Kitchen) 12:15 AM**

Ford sat in the dark kitchen, sleep having eluded him tonight again. While he was grateful that the twins were safe, something about today resonated with him. It wasn't for the fact that the twins could've died, but this gnawing feeling in the pit of his stomach, trying to tell him something.

Seeing the Gems, that monster, his specimens, it…awakened an all-too familiar feeling, the same one he occasionally felt for the past thirty years. Only this time, it was excruciating, like an intense guilt that ate away at his very soul. He never figured out what his mind wanted him to remember, but whatever it was must've been too terrible to recollect.

Knowing that he had only one option to get some sleep tonight, Ford opened one of his sleeping pill bottles from the kitchen medicine cabinet and swallowed the two he took nightly every few months. With that, Ford wandered back to his room where he fell into a dreamless slumber, but he briefly saw the image that haunted him for the past thirty years before he went to sleep; a wheel of strange symbols, with an odd, triangular creature in the center.

 **AN: Well, I'm very satisfied with the work I put into this chapter and would like to once again thank Minijen for this opportunity. I'll do my best not to make this too much like Universe Falls, but don't hold it against me if it seems that way. I'm keeping the fact that the Gems arrived in Gravity Falls during 1843 as well as Ford's still-mysterious history with Rose, with the appropriate changes since it is based on Minijen's fusion AU.**

 **Next Time—Chapter 2: Legends and Fusions**


	2. Legends and Fusions

**AN; Hello, everyone! Well, I'm pleasantly surprised with the number of favorites and follows I've gotten for this story from just the first chapter. I truly thank you all for that and I encourage more reviews. Now then, if any of you were wondering about Gideon and Pacifica in this story, yes, they are personality-swapped with each other, but that won't come into play until a bit later.**

 **Now then, the adventure continues!**

Momswap Rises

Chapter 2: Legends and Fusions

 **Crystal Temple (Front Yard) 7:40 AM**

It had been a typical morning in Gravity Falls, but not for Steven. While he would ordinarily be sleeping now or reading a book inside, the boy had been expecting a special delivery today. Since the mail often came early, Steven had to wake up an hour earlier than he originally would have and waited alone since the Gems were off on a mission right now. Luckily, Steven only had to wait by his mailbox for a few minutes before the mailman arrived.

The mailman appeared to be an ordinary man in his early 20s with short, brown hair, matching eyes, and tanned skin. He wore a light blue button up shirt with an envelope embroidered on both sleeves, a white t-shirt beneath it, slate blue shorts, a messenger satchel with an envelope embroidered on its flap, and a pith helmet. He also wore a pair of white socks under a pair of red shoes with white lining. This was Jamie.

"Hey, about time I see you in the morning, Steven!" Jamie greeted cheerfully.

"H-Hi, Jamie." Steven said shyly. He then forced himself to stare into his eyes and ask, "So…do you have a package for me?"

With that, Jamie rifled through his mailbag until he found a small, square package that he handed to Steven, which brought a small smile to the young boy's face.

"This is, awesome! Thanks, Jamie!" Steven said sincerely as he rushed up the road back to his house, which left Jamie with an amused smile on his face.

"Huh, he's a good kid." Jamie mused to himself, only to notice that he still had the electronic signature pad in his satchel for Steven's delivery. He would've gone after the young half-Gem, but he formed an amused smile instead. "Eh, Barb will understand."

 **Crystal Temple (Steven's House) 7:43 AM**

After he received his package, Steven rushed through the front door of his home with a small grin, only for it to falter when he saw the state that the Gems were in.

"Hey, little cub. How are you?" Jasper casually greeted as she nonchalantly put out flames that were on her hair, which left small, black scorch marks.

While Steven would've ordinarily asked, what happened, Lapis and Peridot's bickering in the kitchen distracted him, both of whom had similar injuries like Jasper's.

"Lapis, I calculated a 99.99% probability that the mother dragon would attack us if you stole one of her eggs!" Peridot chastised, referring to the large, oddly golden, egg Lapis had in her hands.

"And I told you that dragon eggs make the best omelets! It was totally worth the risk!" Lapis defended.

"Oh, you are such a child! You would rather indulge in the pleasantries of Earth than even try to be a real Crystal Gem!" Peridot exclaimed in exasperation, which made Lapis playfully roll her eyes.

"Oh, stop flirting, Peri. Just make out with me and get it out of your system." Lapis said flirtatiously as she put the egg on the kitchen counter, which made Peridot blush immensely.

"T-T-That is way out of line, Lapis!" Peridot exclaimed, flustered.

"Oh, don't you remember the good old days? Remember Amazonite?" Lapis asked seductively, which somehow intensified Peridot's blush.

"That w-w-was a long time ago, Lapis. We don't even form her anymore." Peridot said, somewhat nervously, which made Lapis form a venomous scowl.

"We don't form her because _**you**_ are emotionally constipated!" Lapis said tersely, which made Peridot form one of her own as her blush faded.

"No, we don't form her because _**you**_ are a loose cannon!" Peridot countered angrily.

"We don't form her because _**you've**_ gotten even more uptight ever since Rose…!"

The blue Gem didn't have time to finish her criticism before she noticed that Steven had been looking at her and Peridot with wide, unblinking eyes. Peridot quickly caught on and formed a remorseful expression as the two ended their argument and went over to their young charge.

"Apologies, Steven. Lapis and I are…just dealing with some old stuff." Peridot said apologetically.

"Yeah. It doesn't have anything to do with you. I'm sorry." Lapis added similarly.

Steven stared at two of his guardians and did his best to not seem so upset with that display. While he knew that conflict was unavoidable in the team, the Gems had rarely slipped up like that in front of him. Still, he didn't want to be the cause of more conflict between the duo and formed a small smile.

"It's okay. I understand." Steven said as he then formed a quizzical expression. "So, who's Amazonite?"

Lapis formed an eager grin and declared, "Amazonite is me and Peri, mashed together!"

Steven looked at her explanation in brief confusion until Peridot intervened. "What she means to say is that she's a fusion between myself and Lapis." Peridot explained.

"What's fusion?" Steven asked, somewhat eager for the answer. Before Peridot could do so, Jasper intervened, much to her disappointment.

"The cub doesn't need a headache from your explanation, Peridot." Jasper said dismissively as she turned to Steven and said, "Steven, when Gems synchronize physically, mentally, and emotionally, they become greater than the sum of their own parts. Rose taught us that." Strangely, Steven noticed a small look of sorrow in Jasper's eyes, which quickly disappeared when her explanation was over.

"Uh, so, can you tell me about Amazonite?" Steven requested, eager to change the subject.

"Well, she's an ultra-powerful, stone-cold babe—that part's me!" Lapis declared cheerfully and then lowered her voice to a whisper as she embraced her young charge, "And she's also a bit of a know-it-all, not to mention a buzzkill, which she gets from Peridot."

"Regarding my previous attempt, Amazonite is not that simple." Peridot tersely restated, having heard Lapis' unsavory remarks about her components of their fusion. "She's the amalgam of our combined physical and magical attributes fused into a single entity."

"That sounds pretty cool. Is it too much to ask you guys to…fuse into Amazonite, like right now?" Steven shyly requested, which brought uneasy expressions to their faces.

The duo looked at Jasper who firmly nodded, but they expected it would be a bit of a challenge. They hadn't fused into Amazonite since Rose was their leader, but Jasper retained her serious expression. "Well, what are you guys waiting for? He asked nicely." Jasper said expectantly.

"Uh, well, it's just that…" Lapis said uncertainly, forming a dark blue blush on her cheeks.

"Jasper, you know that we now only fuse in deadly situations!" Peridot reasoned, although she knew that the rule had been bent before.

"Alright, then." Jasper said evenly, even though they could tell it was out of necessity that she relented. "If neither of you are ready, I understand."

Peridot and Lapis breathed a sigh of relief, which Steven noticed since his disappointed sigh was low enough to be made by a mouse. "However, we do have a mission to go on right now. We need to retrieve the Geode Beetles of Water and Lightning."

"Whoa, this is sort of of like my new book." Steven said, amazed as he opened the square package in his hands, which revealed a small, hard-covered book that he held up in tamed excitement.

The Gems looked at his display in confusion, with Peridot breaking the semi-awkward silence. "What's the book about?" Peridot asked.

"Oh, it's this cool Sci-Fi novel where a rogue gang of aliens have to travel throughout the universe in search of the Nine Stars of the Turina Nebula, which were encased in artifacts eons ago!" Steven gushed, and then said, "It's the latest one from the _Weight of the Stars_ franchise called, _Weight of the Stars 6: The Return of Weepers_. If I came with you, I'd be like Captain Grissom!"

"Steven, we aren't characters in someone's story. Besides, this mission is far too dangerous for you." Peridot pointed out, not wanting to see him get hurt.

"He can come." Jasper said sternly, which prevented any rebuttal from Peridot. "We need to split up for this anyway."

"With all due respect, I'll go with you, Jasper." Lapis said smugly, which made Peridot form an infuriated scowl.

"No, I should. At least Jasper takes things seriously!" Peridot said angrily at Lapis.

Knowing what this meant, Jasper formed a sterner expression, which instantly stopped Peridot and Jasper's argument from escalating.

"You three will go together." Jasper said simply. " _ **I'll**_ go alone."

"What?! Why?!" Lapis and Peridot exclaimed simultaneously.

"Because the Lightning Beetle is in the middle of a perpetual thunderstorm, and I have the highest tolerance for pain." Jasper explained as she then eyed at the duo. "Your machines would fry instantly and you would be knocked out the second you used your water powers." Jasper said to Peridot and Lapis, respectively, which made both Gems shirk in embarrassment. She then formed a sincere smile and said, "Besides, the Water Beetle's somewhere in Gravity Falls Lake. It'll be safer there, especially with Lapis' powers."

"You mean more boring. None of the creatures in the lake are exactly fond of me, remember?" Lapis said sardonically.

"Yeah, all those variations of mermaids really hold a grudge." Peridot unsympathetically added, which made Lapis form a venomous scowl.

"We'll be surrounded by water all day. Don't push it." Lapis said tersely, which made Peridot nervously nod as she headed towards the front door.

"W-Well, let's get going!" Peridot nervously declared as Jasper headed towards the warp pad.

"This is going to be fun!" Steven said eagerly, which made Lapis smile as she rushed a bit ahead of him. However, before Steven could leave the house, Jasper called out for him.

"Steven, remember to keep the harmony, little cub!" Jasper yelled back.

"Don't worry. I will!" Steven said confidently as Jasper warped away with a smile on her face. Steven then rushed out the door and met the two, semi-quarreling Gems with a small grin. "You heard the woman. Today's going to be about harmony!"

 **Ford's House 1** **st** **Floor (Kitchen) 8:00 AM**

"You ready for the ultimate challenge, big sis?" Dipper asked competitively.

"I was born ready, little bro!" Mabel declared confidently.

"Very well, then." Dipper said as he gave Mabel a daring grin as he held his syrup bottle a bit higher, more than ready to take on his sister in their breakfast-themed competition.

"Syrup race!" the twins declared simultaneously. Soon enough, the battle was on as the duo held their respective bottles over their tongues and awaited the taste of their syrups. It was a slow process, given the unspoken rule of not tapping the bottom to make the syrup come faster, but Dipper emerged victorious, even though it was hard to swallow.

"Awesome!" Dipper said in-between his choking. "I did it!"

Mabel accepted her brother's win with a sincere laugh as she turned her attention towards the magazine she'd been skimming through before Dipper challenged her. "Whoa, that is cool! Dip, check this out!" Mabel said excitedly as she showed the ad to her brother.

Dipper's eyes widened as she found the apparent ad and gasped. "Whoa, sea snake mix?!" Dipper asked excitedly, thinking that it was too good to be true. "I've been looking for a real pet I could grow in water!"

"No, not that." Mabel said as she pointed towards the opposite page. "This." The page advertised a monthly monster photo contest, with the pervious winner being of a small, unintimidating platypus with an odd, teal color. However, what attracted the twins to the advertisement was its promise of a one-thousand-dollar prize for the winning picture. "We've seen plenty of weird stuff since we got here!" Mabel insisted enthusiastically. "Did we ever get anything from those mutant sheep or that Gem Bear?"

"No, just horrible, painful memories…" Dipper chipperly trailed off before he pulled out a small tuft of glowing green wool from his left front pocket. "…and this possibly radioactive wool!"

"How and why did you save that?" Mabel asked, disturbed.

Dipper merely shrugged, only to notice a few of his hairs fall out. His eyes widened as he whistled nonchalantly and threw the wool in a nearby trashcan, unaware that it was eating through it.

"Hey, how's my favorite great-niece and nephew?" Ford cheerfully greeted as he arrived in his red-colored pajamas.

"Yeah, right. We're your _**only**_ great-niece and nephew." Dipper playfully clarified as Ford lovingly tousled his hair.

"Even more reason why we're going to have some fun today!" Ford declared as he grabbed a box of cereal from one of the kitchen cupboards and poured it into a bowl, without milk.

"Grunkle Ford, is this going to be anything like the _**last**_ time you wanted us to have fun?" Dipper asked with a rare frown, referring to events that took place a few days prior. "You know, when you droned about physics for nine-and-a-half hours?"

"Hey, I actually liked that!" Mabel pointed out as she shot Ford a sincere smile, which made the old man shoot her one in return.

"Don't worry. This time it'll be something you'll _**both**_ enjoy!" Ford said reassuringly as he grabbed a spoon and sat down with the twins at the table.

"So, after we eat, shower, and change, who's up for grabbing dangerous chemicals and riding in the backseat of my car?!" Ford declared eagerly.

"Yay!" the twins declared in excited unison, but Mabel was the first to regain her composure, smart enough to know the full, but still unknown, possibilities of Ford's request. "Wait, what?"

 **Gravity Falls Lake 9:00 AM**

After getting ready for their Grunkle Ford's surprise, the twins endured a boring, but safe, drive in his old, yellow car. True to his word, Dipper and Mabel carried several chemicals in the backseat with them, but they weren't labeled, a fact that made Mabel feel uneasy. When they arrived, Ford left the car and grabbed some supplies from the trunk while Dipper and Mabel followed him. After he got them all, Ford closed the trunk and stared at the twins excitedly as they gently put down their chemicals.

"Now, kids…are you ready to have some fun?!" Ford declared excitedly as he held out two white, child-sized lab coats, each with safety goggles, black rubber gloves, and matching boots.

"Uh, what are you playing at Grunkle Ford?" Dipper asked, uneasily.

"Well, I'm conducting research on the waters in Gravity Falls Lake." Ford said as he pointed towards the lake, unaware that the twins now wandered to it as he continued talking. "I theorize that the water's properties may be why so many different sub-species of mermaids can coexist. Of course, I've only seen a handful, but hopefully these chemicals will…"

Ford then looked around and saw the twins wander towards the lake's edge, captivated by its beauty. He quickly followed them after gently putting down the supplies and embraced the duo.

While the lake wasn't too impressive, it still ran several miles with numerous deep spaces. It's murky, cerulean waters shimmered with the early morning sun, as the towering waterfall that the town was named for flowed into it far across from its shore. Thankfully, there weren't too many boats out, so the view was practically perfect.

"It's magnificent, isn't it?" Ford said encouragingly as Dipper and Mabel nodded in agreement. Suddenly, Ford yanked the twins and brought them back to the car with an odd, cheerful smile, which contrasted Dipper and Mabel's disappointed frowns.

"Hey, what gives, Grunkle Ford?" Dipper asked.

"There'll be plenty of time to admire the lake later. Right now, we're going to have some good old-fashioned, family fun!" Ford declared as he set the twins down and put on their lab coats.

Much to their embarrassment, the coats had their names stitched into their left pectorals, with Dipper's name in blue and Mabel's name in pink. While it was quality stitch-work, the twins felt as though their grunkle was trying too hard.

"So, how long are we going to be studying the samples?" Mabel asked, hoping that it wouldn't take too much time.

"Well, given the equipment and chemicals, I'd say about…ten hours?" Ford guessed, which made the twins gasp in apprehension.

"Ten hours?!" Mabel yelled incredulously.

"Well, it won't be too bad. I brought balloon animals!" Ford declared as he pulled out a red balloon and started to make it into an animal. Unfortunately, it popped before he could shape it, much to his ire. While he was attempting to make another one, Dipper took Mabel aside for a private conversation.

"There's _**got**_ to be a way out of this." Dipper said desperately, both sharing the same feelings.

Soon enough, this dread turned to hope when Mabel spotted Steven Lapis, and Peridot approaching the lake at a rapid pace. "There just might be, Dipper." Mabel said with a small smile as she nodded in that direction, directing her brother's gaze there as he joined her in relief.

"Now then, any idea on how we find the Water Beetle?" Lapis asked apathetically.

"Well, we might have a good chance if you used your powers, Lapis." Peridot replied.

"Not a good idea. There's people in the water and no guarantee that I'll even dredge it up." Lapis pointed out.

"Fair enough. Hmm, what to do?" Peridot asked herself, only for Steven to come up with a suggestion.

"Wait, could you guys have a better chance if you fused into Amazonite?" Steven asked, which made Lapis and Peridot reform their uncomfortable expressions.

"Steven, we've been over this. We haven't formed Amazonite in a long time…" Lapis said caustically, only to form a joking grin, "…because Peridot's got a huge stick up her cute butt."

"I don't!" Peridot yelled angrily as she formed a bright, green blush.

"The stick or the cute butt? Because you know both of those are true." Lapis said flirtatiously, which only made Peridot more flustered.

"Ugh, I hate it when you make me feel like this!" Peridot angrily stated as her blush disappeared, only for Lapis to form an angered scowl.

"What, desirable? Peri, you should be flattered I'm even taking an interest!" Lapis bitterly stated.

"Which makes no sense! You're a Lapis and I'm a Peridot! We wouldn't even be talking to each other if we weren't Crystal Gems!" Peridot angrily yelled as her artificial fingers tightened into a fist.

"Uh, guys…" Steven said quietly, disturbed by their display.

"Why is your self-esteem so low that you don't consider yourself attractive?!" Lapis retorted as her hair and the water from the lake shore started to float up.

"Guys, stop!" Steven yelled at a volume that made the quarreling Gems end their argument and share remorseful expressions towards him.

"Oh, apologies Steven. We did it again." Peridot said remorsefully as her artificial fingers unclenched.

"We're really sorry, Steven. It's just that Amazonite brings back…a lot of memories." Lapis said with a rare frown as her hair and the water returned to their proper places.

"No, it's my fault." Steven admitted. "I shouldn't have brought it up after what I saw at the temple."

"No, it's all us, really Steven!" Peridot countered, not wanting her surrogate son to feel any guilt.

"She's right. Besides, we have to find that beetle now!" Lapis added, wanting to change the subject, which made Steven form a hopeful smile

"Yeah, let's go hunting!" Steven said excitedly, only to eye the Pines Family. "Oh, there's Dipper, Mabel, and Prof. Pines!" Steven said as Peridot and Lapis followed him as he ran over there.

"Peridot! Oh…hi, Lapis." Ford said to the two Gems, respectively as he tried and failed to make balloon animals.

Despite Ford's mixed feelings, Dipper and Mabel shared hopeful smiles as Steven hurried towards them, certain that despite their earlier display, they could save them from Ford's well-meaning idea of fun.

"Hey, Steven. What are you guys doing here?" Mabel asked as she and Dipper walked away from Ford, much to the elderly scientist's disappointment.

"Oh, we're just looking for a Gem artifact called the Water Beetle. It's like I'm Captain Grissom in his latest story!" Steven declared as he showed them the book he carried in his arms, which made Mabel gasp in amazement.

"Whoa, you got the latest _Weight of the Stars_ novel?! That's so amazing!" Mabel declared excitedly, which made Dipper pinch the ridge of his nose.

"Oh, don't tell me you're going to deal with this nerd stuff again?" Dipper asked in rare exasperation.

"It's not nerd stuff, and you better believe I will!" Mabel declared as she formed an excited grin. "You remember in the third novel when Captain Grissom saved a group of colonists from an ancient alien creature?!"

"Yeah, or when he punched out that weirdly-named reporter in the first novel?!" Steven replied excitedly.

"Steven, as great as it is to talk to someone about the scientifically inaccurate content in your book series, we are on a mission." Peridot said, trying to get him focused.

"Yeah, you'll be able to talk with them later." Lapis added as she pointed towards the water. "We have to find the Water Beetle."

"That goes triple for me, kids. The three of us have important, exciting science stuff to accomplish, right?" Ford eagerly asked towards the twins.

Dipper and Mabel shared unenthusiastic expressions, knowing that Steven's mission would be better than studying water with Ford. Although, Mabel wanted to discuss the book series more, as well. However, before they could protest, they suddenly heard the hillbilly from their first day in Gravity Falls shriek loudly.

He appeared to be an elderly man with fair skin, a long, white beard, which oddly had a bandage on it, and a rather large nose. He wore a pair of brown overalls, a large, tattered brown hat, and a set of bandages on his left forearm and foot.

"I seen it! I seen it, again!" the elderly man declared as he tried to get the little attention he could from the townsfolk.

"Oy, this guy." Peridot said in exasperation.

"Looks like Old Man McGucket's having another episode." Lapis said dismissively.

"It's the Gravity Falls Gobblewonker! Come quick before he scramdoodles away!" McGucket declared as he suddenly started to dance wildly, trying to emphasize his warning.

"Aw, he's doing a happy jig!" Dipper said with an amused grin, only for McGucket to grab him by the shoulders and shake him feverishly.

"No! It's a jig of grave danger!" McGucket clarified, only for the lake ranger to arrive with an angered scowl.

"Hey, hey!" the ranger scolded in warning as pointed a shotgun at the old man's face, which disturbed most of the few onlookers. "What did I say about chasing away customers?! This time it's loaded, dad!"

"But I got proof this time, by gumminy!" McGucket fearfully protested as he headed towards the docks. "Foller me!"

Unsure of where he was going with this, McGucket's son reluctantly put away the shotgun as he and the rest of the onlookers followed him. Once everyone gathered at the dock, McGucket pointed towards a damaged boat in the water.

"Behold, the destruction of the Gobbledy-wonker! It had a long neck like a gee-raff and wrinkly skin like that sort-of familiar man over there!" McGucket declared as he pointed towards Ford, who formed an inexplicable uneasy expression around him. "It chewed up my boat to smitheroons and then shim-shammed over to Scuttlebutt Island!" McGucket continued, desperate for anyone to believe him. "You've got to believe me!"

The entire crowd formed an awkward silence, which didn't last long as a police boat arrived carrying the only two lawmen in Gravity Falls, Sheriff Durland and Deputy Blubs.

Sherriff Durland was a tall, lanky man with fair skin, a large, pink nose, somewhat big ears, and copper-red hair stylized into a buzzcut that was obscured by his uniform's hat.

Deputy Blubs was a short, stout African-American man with a large, gray moustache and balding gray hair that was obscured by his uniform's hat.

" _Attention, all units!"_ Durland said with a soft, southern accent into his bullhorn before he formed a sardonic grin. _"McGucket's blown a gasket again!"_

Most of the onlookers broke out into a fit of laughter, sans Steven, Dipper, and Mabel who felt sorry for the hillbilly, Peridot out of apathy, and Ford out of uneasiness. Seeing that no one was believing his supposedly-fictional tale, the elderly hillbilly hung his head in disappointment as he began to walk off, mumbling to himself. "Aw, donkey spittle! Banjo polish!" The small crowd soon dispersed, which left only the Gems and the Pines family behind.

"Well, that was…interesting." Ford stated, somewhat uneasily. Soon enough, he formed a bright smile as he held out another balloon. "Now, let's see if I can make a dog, at least!"

Dipper and Mabel ignored Ford as he continued to fail at making balloon animals and instead conversed with Steven over what just happened.

"Oh, poor McGucket. I thought that he wasn't _**totally**_ crazy." Steven said with pity for the elderly man.

"Did you guys hear what he just said?" Mabel asked, an idea forming in her mind.

"Those weird, made-up words he was saying?" Dipper asked.

"No, the stuff about the Gobblewonker!" Mabel clarified. "If we snap a picture of it, we can split that prize."

"What prize?" Steven asked, curiously.

"Oh, this one." Mabel said with an eager grin as she held up the magazine she brought with her, which showed Steven the monster photography contest. "The winner of this gets $1000. If we win it, we'd get about $300 a piece!"

"Whoa, $300?!" Steven exclaimed in rare awe. "I could totally pre-order the next _Weight of the Stars_ novel with that much money!"

"I know what you mean, Steven! I'm going to order a bunch of sea snake mix with my share!" Dipper said eagerly. "Mable, I'm totally on board with this plan!"

"I'll go over it with the Gems, but I'm with Dipper on this one!" Steven exclaimed.

"Okay, then we're agreed." Mabel said determinedly as she turned towards her struggling grunkle. "Grunkle Ford, with all due respect, we're getting a boat to Scuttlebutt Island so we can find that Gobblewonker!"

"What?!" Ford exclaimed, shocked by the turn of events as the balloon popped.

"And…is it okay if I go with them?" Steven asked nervously towards Peridot and Lapis.

"Only if you count me in!" Lapis said with an eager grin. "A monster hunt sounds way more fun than searching for a Water Beetle!"

"That's awesome!" Steven exclaimed as he formed a smile and started to chant, "Monster hunt! Monster hunt!", which enticed Lapis, Dipper, and Mabel to join in.

" _ **Excuse**_ me," Peridot tersely cut in, interrupting their excitement. "As glad as I am to see Steven come out of his shell, we still have a beetle to find."

"Aw, come on, Peri. It'll just be a quick detour." Lapis defended.

"If the past is any indication, it won't be." Peridot asserted. "Besides, even with all the weirdness of Gravity Falls, the Gobblewonker's probably a myth from the insane ramblings of a hillbilly."

"But what if the Gobblewonker's actually a Gem monster?" Steven proposed. "If it is, we should stop it before anyone gets hurt."

"Well…I guess. I mean, some of the monsters in Gravity Falls are of Gem origin, but…"

"Oh, yeah!" Steven interrupted triumphantly as he resumed the chanting. "Monster hunt! Monster hunt!"

Suddenly, a loud, honking noise broke through the chant as an impressive boat pulled up to the dock. While the boat was unfamiliar to the group, its captain wasn't.

"Hey, you guys say something about a monster hunt?" Robbie asked as he turned from the wheel with a friendly smile.

"Robbie!" Dipper and Steven exclaimed in familiarity, while Mable only formed a small blush and mumbled incoherently.

"Dipper, Steven, it's great to see you guys again!" Robbie said warmly as descended from the boat.

"Robbie, why are you driving your family's boat?" Ford asked, somewhat angered by these events.

"Oh, hey, Prof. Pines! I totally got my boating license before school ended, so I can drive the Valentino family boat whenever I want!" Robbie said confidently before he formed a warm smile at Mabel. "Want to go on a monster hunt, cutie?"

Mabel squealed in nervousness as she put her coat over her head and zipped it up, much to Robbie's confusion. It only lasted for a few moments before Mabel unzipped it and stared at Robbie with a half-smile.

"Yeah, sure. Whatever." Mabel said in faux-aloofness.

"We could use it for beetle hunting, too." Lapis suggested as she nudged Peridot's elbow. "Unless, you want me to dredge up the entire lake while it has humans."

Peridot shot a warning glare at the blue Gem, even though she knew it was the safest option. She knew it was a good plan, but her pride wouldn't allow her to admit it to Lapis, especially since she knew it was mostly for her and Steven to go on a monster hunt rather than finding the beetle. Though, she did hope, like Lapis did, that it would take their minds off Amazonite for now.

Though Steven had successfully convinced two of his guardians to join them, Dipper and Mabel had a harder time convincing Ford.

"Okay, let's look at this logically." Ford stated, doing his best not to seem mad. "Would you rather stay here by the shore where we can do fun and safe water analysis, or go on a potentially-fatal monster hunt for something that may not even exist?"

Dipper and Mabel remained silent for a while. If they stayed with Ford, they'd be bored out of their minds with complicated science and his comedic attempts at making balloon animals. Although, going with Robbie, Steven, and the Gems meant the unspoken promise of an exciting adventure, even if it may have been a goose chase. Neither of them had to put too much thought into what option sounded the most fun.

"So, what's the verdict?" Ford asked hopefully.

 **Gravity Falls Lake (Valentino Family Boat) 9:37 AM**

"We made the right choice!" Dipper exclaimed cheerfully as Robbie's boat sped away with himself, Mabel, Steven, Peridot, and Lapis aboard.

"I'll bring them back alive, Prof. Pines!" Robbie exclaimed as he turned his head towards the dock.

Neither of the twins felt much remorse for abandoning Ford, even though they knew that he meant well. Still, they were confident that he didn't need them for his analysis, and they were focused on their monster hunt.

"Let's go find that Gobblewonker!" Steven exclaimed cheerfully.

" _ **After**_ we find the Water Beetle." Peridot interjected, even though she still doubted that the creature existed. "That's our first and foremost priority."

"Can't you just go with the flow, Peri?" Lapis asked as she lied down on a beach chair. "We'll find it and Jasper won't be angry with us when the day's over. Who knows? You might just learn how to loosen up."

"This isn't about loosening up, Lapis." Peridot retorted. "We still have a mission to do, not to mention Jasper's wrath to face if we don't succeed. We'd have a better chance if you weren't so irresponsible."

Lapis apathetically scoffed at this, not even caring to make a comment about it this time. Meanwhile, the kids, and Robbie, were planning to capture a photo of the creature.

"Okay," Mabel began with a formal tone, even though she was distracted by Robbie's presence. "If we're…going to uh, win this…thing, we have to…do it right. So, what's the…problem with uh, most…monster hunts?"

"Mabel, are you okay?" Robbie asked in concern.

"I'm fine!" Mabel hastily declared and then cleared her throat. "Now, what is the most common problem with monster hunts?"

"You're a side character and you die in the first half of the movie." Robbie suggested, and then paused for a moment. "Wait, am _**I**_ a side character?" Robbie philosophically asked himself.

"No." Mabel said, shooting down his suggestion. "It's camera trouble!" Mabel clarified before she decided to give an example. "Let's say, a werewolf shows up. Robbie, be a werewolf?"

"Okay." Robbie said as he nonchalantly removed his flannel shirt, which revealed a set of well-toned abs. Mabel formed a goofy smile and a warm blush when she saw that, which Robbie remained oblivious to as he struck a fierce pose. Mabel remained in her trance-like state for a few moments before she snapped herself out of it to continue her example.

"There he is! A shirtless werewolf!" Mabel hastily yelled as she patted herself down for a camera. "Uh-oh, no camera!" Mabel soon found on in her coat pocket and pulled it out, before she said, "Oh, here's one! But, no film! You see what I'm getting at here?" She asked, her tone becoming serious, but not before she snapped a photo of Robbie mere moments before he put his shirt back on.

"Oh, yeah. She's got a point." Dipper admitted, with Steven and Robbie nodding in agreement.

"Which is why I brought _**twenty**_ disposable cameras!" Mabel declared confidently, before running through her stock. "Two on my ankle," Mable said as she pulled down her legging to reveal the two hidden cameras. "Two in my coat, three for each of you." She said as she handed them to her group. "And one…" she trailed off as she pulled out the last one from her boot. "In my boot! There's no way we're going to miss this."

"Uh, why'd you take a photo of me with my shirt off?" Robbie asked in confusion, which made Mable's blush return.

"No reason!" Mabel yelled defensively as she discretely stored the camera she used in her boot, wanting to save that for later.

"Mable, aside from your brief absentmindedness, you came prepared for a human." Peridot admitted as she looked over her trio of cameras, and then formed a quizzical look. "When'd you get these?"

"Irrelevant!" Mable declared boisterously before she formed a sincere smile. "And thank you, Peridot. Okay, let's test these cameras out!"

The group began to do so in different ways, though to varying degrees of success. Dipper snapped a photo of himself, but he hadn't anticipated how bright the flash would be and accidentally threw it in the water. "Aw, dang it!" Dipper exclaimed in dismay as he turned towards his older sister with a frown, but thankfully, Mabel wasn't upset over the loss.

"Don't worry, Dip. That's why we have back-up cameras!" Mabel said reassuringly, though she hoped that the others wouldn't be lost.

Unfortunately, her hopes were dashed as a seagull came near Steven, which startled the young boy enough to throw one of his cameras at it. Surprisingly, his aim was good as his camera hit the bird, which shattered the camera, but knocked the bird unconscious as it fell into the water.

"Nice shot, Steven!" Robbie praised even though the young boy looked on in dismay that he assaulted an innocent bird.

"Eighteen!" Mabel exclaimed, trying to stay calm. "Okay, guys, I repeat: _**don't**_ lose your cameras."

"Wait, what?" Dipper asked, having not heard what his sister said as he threw two more in the water, thinking that the Gobblewonker could be photographed from underneath the lake. "Do lose the cameras?"

"Don't!" Mabel exclaimed, somewhat angrily towards her brother.

"Oh, I was wondering about the technology of these and…" Peridot trailed off as she held a disassembled camera in her artificial fingers, which made her laugh sheepishly.

"Fifteen! Okay, we still have fifteen…!" Mabel froze as she'd accidentally smashed the one on the cooler. "Fourteen," she said with a frustrated sigh. "We have fourteen cameras."

"So, I'm kind of confused on what's going on here." Steven admitted. "Should we just toss out some more cameras, or what?"

"No, Steven!" Mabel exclaimed, refusing to lose more cameras at this point. "No. Okay, Dipper and Steven, you two can be our lookouts. Robbie will man the steering wheel. Peridot and Lapis, can you please make sure that we don't lose any more cameras?"

"Sure thing, since Peri's done analyzing the one she disassembled." Lapis said as she sent a flirtatious wink towards Peridot, which made her form an embarrassed blush.

"Yes, she's right." Peridot admitted through clenched teeth. "Especially since we need to keep an eye out for the Water Beetle anyway."

"Wait, what are you going to do, Mable?" Steven asked.

"I'll be captain." Mabel proclaimed, though Dipper protested to the idea of his sister in charge.

"Wait, why should you be the captain?" Dipper asked with a pout. "What about Dipper, huh? Dip-per! Dip-per! Dip-per!"

"No offense, Dipper, but I don't think that's such a good idea." Mabel stated, knowing what a handful her goof-bag of a brother could be.

"Hmm, would you settle for co-captain?" Dipper suggested.

"There's no such thing as co-captain." Mabel said tersely.

Dipper was silent for a moment as he came up with a plan for Mabel to give him some authority on this mission. "Lapis, can I look at one of your cameras for a second?"

"Sure." Lapis said apathetically as she handed one of hers to Dipper.

"Whoops." Dipper said as he nonchalantly threw the camera into the water.

"Okay, fine!" Mabel relented, internally marking down the number of cameras to thirteen. "You can be co-captain!"

"Is it cool if I'm associate co-captain?" Steven asked. "It's almost like the position of Lieutenant Kaleno, you know, before he died in that huge explosion on Vetras in the first novel."

"As co-captain, I authorize that request!" Dipper said eagerly.

"Well, as _**first**_ co-captain, our number one order of business is to lure the monster out with this." Mabel said as she motioned towards the large barrel of fish food on the far side of the boat.

"I will never understand why my parents bought that when they hardly ever go out fishing." Robbie mentioned, which made the group, sans Peridot, break out into a small fit of laughter.

Meanwhile, by the shoreline, Ford glared at the group in contempt. "Traitors!" Ford angrily declared only for it to turn into a self-deprecated frown as he stared at the unused supplies he had behind him. "Who am I kidding? The kids were right to abandon me to search for fun and adventure. I can't even make a good balloon animal, and I have 12 PhDs." Ford glumly said to himself as he attempted to make another one, only for it to burst into flames before he could even inflate it. "Oh, come on! That's scientifically impossible!"

Suddenly, Ford heard a loud, growling sound, which made him almost instinctively reach for his hidden laser samurai sword he kept in his left pants pocket. When he activated it, he went to investigate the noise, which led him into the forest. When he arrived, he came face-to-face with a creature he'd never seen before.

It resembled a coyote, but with dark red fur, black soulless eyes, a scarlet gemstone with an octagonal facet in its left eye, and towered over him by a few feet as it stood on its hind legs. Even more unnerving, there were six creatures that resembled it, but lacked the gemstone.

As the main one opened his terrifying maw, Ford smirked in excitement as he readied himself against the creatures. "Well, so much for a boring day of water analysis."

 **Scuttlebutt Island Waters 10:07 AM**

The waters around Scuttlebutt Island were engulfed in a thick fog, one that the boat's spotlight could not pierce through. Since Robbie activated the autopilot, he went to the back of the boat and shoveled the fish food over the side, hoping it would attract the Gobblewonker. Everyone else stood in front of the boat, with Steven, Dipper, and Mabel at the railing, keeping watch for the island over the fog. As the boat continued its course, Steven glanced at Lapis and Peridot, which made him frown as he noticed their thinly-veiled soured expressions. Jasper told him to keep the harmony, but he'd failed to do so. If only he could somehow fix this.

"Hey, would forming Amazonite make you guys feel better?" Steven suggested, which made Peridot and Lapis form exasperated expressions.

"Steven, we've been over this. Amazonite brings back too many memories and we only fuse in dangerous situations." Peridot reiterated.

"Peri's right, Steven. I think it's best not to mention her, even though she's a…sort of giant woman." Lapis added, albeit hesitantly at the last part.

"I'm sorry. It's just that Jasper told me to keep the harmony and…I feel like I've failed her." Steven admitted and then sighed wearily. "I…I never should have asked to see Amazonite."

With that, Lapis and Peridot shared remorseful expressions. While they were both bitter about Amazonite for their own reasons, they ignored what a toll it was taking on Steven, even though they apologized for what he'd seen. They should've known better, and now Steven paid the price for it.

However, Lapis formed a hopeful expression as she waked over to Steven with a small smile. Her gem then glowed bright blue as she pulled out Steven's ukulele from it and handed the musical instrument to him, which made the young boy smile immensely.

"Come on, don't be shy. Play whatever's in your heart." Lapis said encouragingly as she warmly hugged her surrogate son, which Steven almost immediately returned before he reluctantly ended the embrace.

With an anxious sigh, Steven started to sing. _"All I want to do is help you turn into a giant woman! I don't care if I get to see you turn into a giant woman! A giant woman! Because your feelings mean more to me than ever seeing a giant woman! A giant woman!"_

Suddenly, Dipper sprang into action and joined Steven for the rest of the song, which the young boy didn't protest as they did an impromptu duet. _"But if she could help you, then I'd want to see a giant woman! You might even remember how good it feels to be together, but if you don't, it won't be forever. But if it were me, I might want to be a giant woman!"_

The song soon began to die down as Steven slowed his playing, both him and Dipper forming sincere smiles as they stared at Lapis and Peridot. _"It's okay, but if she could help, we'd want to see you turn into a giant woman…"_ They finished easily and awaited a response from the Gems as the melody disappeared into the fog.

Surprisingly, Peridot and Lapis formed sincere smiles as the duo embraced the boys, but they ended their embrace on Dipper after a few moments and then focused on Steven, much to Dipper's disappointment.

"Thank you, Steven. We still won't form into her, but thank you for being respectful." Peridot sincerely admitted as Lapis lovingly tousled Steven's hair.

"That's my perfect boy. I'm glad that you understand." Lapis said affectionately.

"Uh, not that the song wasn't good, but what's the deal here?" Mabel asked, confused by the song's content.

"Oh, I sang to them that it's okay if they don't fuse into Amazonite, but if she could help them, I'd want to see her." Steven clarified, which confused Dipper and Mabel.

"Wait, fusion? Do they become like, one person or something?" Mabel asked.

"Who cares? I got to sing a song with a new friend!" Dipper exclaimed excitedly, which made Mabel's eyes widen.

"Wait, if you two are back here, then who's on look…?!" Mabel exclaimed as the boat suddenly crashed into the shoreline of Scuttlebutt Island. Steven and Dipper gave sheepish glances towards Mabel, who merely had an exasperated expression on her face.

"Uh, look out?" Steven said sheepishly, knowing that it was too late.

"Yeah, totally!" Dipper said uncertainly as the group disembarked, only for him to form a chipper expression. "Sea snake mix, here I come!"

 **Scuttlebutt Island 10:23 AM**

The island wasn't very large, with only a square mile of densely forested land, still enshrouded by the fog that plagued the group. There was a disturbing silence in the air, except for a few interruptions from woodpeckers or dragonflies. As the group traversed into the forest, Mabel lighted the way with a lantern from Robbie's boat. The rest followed closely, but Lapis and Peridot were a few steps behind from each other, still bitter, but not beyond reason. It wasn't too long before Robbie, Dipper, and Steven stopped in front of a wooden sign that bared the name of the island.

"Dudes, check it out." Robbie said with a joking grin as he covered the part of the sign with the word "scuttle" on it. "Butt Island."

"Took you long enough, Robbie!" Dipper said good-naturedly as he and Robbie burst into a small fit of laughter. Steven soon joined them with some stifled chuckles along with Lapis who instead let out a giggling snort from their joke. The display had somewhat angered Peridot, but even she couldn't help but smirk from seeing Steven and Lapis so happy.

"Hey!" Dipper called out as he suddenly caught up with her, noticing that she wasn't involved in their merriment. "Why aren't you laughing? Are you _**scared**_?"

"Yeah, right." Mabel scoffed, even though her tone was a bit uncertain. "I'm not…"

"Yeah, you are!" Dipper declared as he lovingly poked his sister's face, much to Mabel's ire.

"Hey!" Mabel exclaimed as she did her best to block Dipper's pokes, though she ultimately failed when she dropped the lantern. "Quit! Stop! Dipper!"

Dipper soon relented as the group heard a low, growling sound in the distance, which brought everyone to a stop as they heard its intimidating snarl. "Oh, I don't like the sound of that." Robbie said a concerned expression.

"I-I-It's not a Gem Bear again, is it?" Steven asked nervously.

"Ooh, it's probably the monster!" Dipper exclaimed eagerly as he pointed towards Lapis and Peridot. "Lapis, Peridot, you guys should fuse!"

Lapis and Peridot groaned in exasperation, with Peridot vocalizing, "Did you learn _**nothing**_ from the song you and Steven sang?"

"Absolutely!" Dipper exclaimed excitedly.

Due to paying attention to Steven, Dipper and the Gems, Mabel failed to notice when a possum came out and absconded with the lantern, much to her horror when she saw the creature scurry away. "Ugh, just great! Now, we can't see anything!"

"Mabel, even though I allowed you guys to come here, I'm starting to think that this isn't worth it." Robbie said with an uncertain frown.

"Not worth it?" Mabel asked, unwilling to let this minor setback interfere in their search. "Guys, imagine what would happen if we got that picture. It's not just about the money; it's about the fame, the notoriety…"

"And being able to tell Grunkle Ford we had more fun with this than doing a boring water analysis!" Dipper added with an eager grin.

"Y-Y-You guys are right!" Steven exclaimed as he formed a proud grin. "After all, did Captain Grissom give up after he lost his ship in the second novel?"

"Exactly! He persevered and got a new ship!" Mabel exclaimed in agreement, only for her to form a sheepish grin. "Although, he did wind up dying in that surprise attack and had to spend two years getting rebuilt."

"Okay, if we're done dealing with "Planet Nerd", we could use Lapis and Peridot's fusion to get a better look!" Dipper exclaimed eagerly, much to the exasperation of the duo.

"Why does everyone want us to fuse so badly?" Peridot acknowledged through clenched teeth.

"Not sure, but I've got a better idea." Lapis said as she formed a mischievous smile. She raised her right hand, which caused some nearby water to emerge from a small lake. She continued to raise the water until the lake was empty and shot it straight into a myriad of branches that blocked their path, which broke them instantly.

"Way to go, Lapis!" Dipper praised as he and the rest of the group traversed through the clear, but muddy, path.

Though the woods were still dark, at least the path was clear thanks to Lapis. No one was entirely sure what would happen if they found the Gobblewonker, or more for the Gems and Steven, the Water Beetle. Still, Mabel remained confident that when they found the former, they would be able to snap a picture of it.

Suddenly, the growling noises from before came back as the group neared the other end of the island, only much louder and closer. "Guys, wait!" Mabel exclaimed as she fished out one of the cameras from her coat pocket. "Did you hear that?"

Dipper let out a large gasp of excitement as he heard the growling more clearly, which contrasted Steven's quiet, slightly apprehensive gasp, both knowing that it was likely what they'd been searching for all day. "This is it!" Mabel proclaimed eagerly.

"Yes!" Dipper shouted in a zealous whisper as he gave his sister a playful punch, which she was more than happy to return. Steven formed an anxious smile and was accompanied by Peridot arming her artificial fingers to fire her laser and Lapis sucking some water from some nearby plants that she levitated above her left hand. Robbie, being the most apprehensive right now, armed himself with his axe, hidden underneath his left pantleg in a black holster.

The entire group pressed onward into the fog, eventually emerging out of the woods and onto the opposite shore of the island. Soon enough, they all came to a stop at the end of the path and gasped in awe at the monster-like silhouette resting afar into the water. Not wanting to be seen too soon by the creature, they took cover behind a nearby log, though Mabel peered up over it with one of her cameras at the ready before urging everyone else to do the same.

"Everyone, get your cameras ready!" Mabel whispered as they all aimed their cameras towards the silhouette on the lake. "Ready?" Mabel asked as she formed a determined grin on her face, ready to snap the photo at any second. "Go!",

At her command, Robbie was the first to let out a battle cry as he expertly swung his axe around, rushing towards the water as he snapped a barrage of uncalculated photos. The kids were quick to follow him, taking their own pictures as the Gems were the last to come out of hiding, both wielding their respective weapons just in case. However, as the group neared the water, the silhouette became clearer when the fog lifted a bit, which revealed a disappointing sight. The "monster" was nothing more than the battered remains of an old, wrecked boat sticking up out of the water, a group of beavers cavorting upon it as they chattered to themselves cheerfully.

"Whoa. That's…unexpected." Steven said, inwardly relieved that they wouldn't have to face the monster after all.

"But, that doesn't make any sense." Mabel said with a frown as she lowered her camera. "The beaver' couldn't have made that monster noise. I know that we heard a monster noise!"

Her confusion was laid to rest as the alleged "monster noise" sounded again, only with its source plainly visible. Oddly enough, it turned out to be nothing more than another beaver messing around with an old, rusty chainsaw that turned on and off intermittently.

"Huh, we've been in Gravity Falls for a long time, but this is the first time I've ever seen something like this, right Peridot?" Lapis admitted as she turned to Peridot, who formed an exasperated expression as she disengaged her fingers. Soon enough, Lapis decided to add her collected water to the larger body of water, somewhat disappointed that the monster had been fake.

"Maybe that old hillbilly was crazy after all…" Mabel said with a dejected sigh, bitter that they'd wasted their time on a wild goose chase.

"He _**did**_ use the word, 'scrapdoodle'…" Dipper said with a frown.

"Well, it just goes to show you that you shouldn't believe everything you hear." Peridot said as she stepped forward. "Now, we can find the Water Beetle, like we should have done in the first place."

"Hey, show some sensitivity, Peri. It might've been a wild goose chase, but Steven was having fun with kids his own age, for once." Lapis said tersely, which made Peridot form an angered scowl.

"Oh, and what have been the options for today; indulging in the legend of some mythological monster, or living in the real world?! Guess which one makes more sense, clod!" Peridot yelled bitterly as Lapis formed her own scowl.

"This has always been your problem Peridot! Why is it so hard for you to play along?!" Lapis yelled incredulously. "You constantly live in 'the real world'! You don't bother smiling when Steven reads something from his Sci-Fi novels even though it makes him happy, you've been bashing on the twins for an understandable mistake, and you're so focused on the mission that you neglect anyone else's feelings!" Lapis ranted, but Peridot showed no signs of remorse.

"What's the alternative: constantly indulging in fantasies, neglecting the people that care about you?!" Peridot yelled incredulously. "You've spent thousands of years just lounging around, enjoying what the Earth has to offer at the expense of everyone else! You never bothered to take anything seriously before, but now you're just a glorified vagabond! If I could've had any other Gem to spend the rest of my immortal life, really, even a Pearl, I would! In your element, you're the strongest Gem on the planet, but you've turned into the biggest joke ever since Rose…!"

"Shut up!" Lapis yelled as she fiercely punched Peridot in her face, which sent her crashing down onto the beach, cracking her visor on impact. Lapis gasped in regret when she realized what she'd done, but Peridot got up and dusted herself off before she left in a silent huff. Lapis quickly ran after her, which left Steven to deal with the fallout of what just happened.

While Robbie had been silently comforting the twins, Steven realized the magnitude of his situation; Amazonite wasn't the problem anymore. Whatever went on before he was born left a deep scar in Lapis and Peridot's relationship, one that he'd indirectly agitated, despite his efforts of curtailing it. Steven let out a dejected sigh, knowing that he failed Jasper.

 **Gravity Falls Forest 10:42 AM**

Meanwhile, Ford had been in the middle of fighting for his life against the Gem Coyote and her spawns. Ford effortlessly sliced through the latter, but they merely reformed, refusing to harmlessly poof like the Gem Bear's cubs. As such, he wound up leading the group into a vast clearing, while he managed to climb up a nearby tree and sat on a sturdy branch.

"This is bad. I can't get close to the Gem Coyote to finish this, but her spawns won't die unless I can get to her.' Ford lamented to himself, only to feel a cold, metal surface on the trunk of the tree.

Unsure of what this meant, Ford found the hatch and opened it, which revealed a small cache of weapons stored in there, mostly futuristic laser guns. Before he could vocalize his confusion, he saw a message inscribed in the back of the hatch.

" _Emergency weapons. These are capable to take down even a Gem Coyote. Use them well, whoever you are. –F."_ Ford read, which made him scratch his head in confusion.

Still, he had no time to waste as he deactivated his laser sword and grabbed what appeared to be a laser rocket launcher, which made him smile eagerly as he turned towards his pursuers.

"Say hello to my little friend!" Ford declared as he jumped from his hiding place and fired his weapon, which sent a dark green, energy beam straight towards the group. The second it hit, a large explosion catapulted him to the nearest tree, but vaporized the physical forms of his pursuers.

When he climbed down, he found the lone red gemstone in a field of black ash, which he kept in his pocket to prevent the creature from reforming.

"Who's top dog, now?" Ford confidently said, only for various growling sounds to emerge from the woods. Ford put down his powerful, but cumbersome weapon and armed himself with his laser samurai sword once again.

Suddenly, various creatures, each with gemstones embedded somewhere on their bodies surrounded Ford, growling menacingly at him. However, Ford merely smiled defiantly as he stared at them and said, "Your actions have led you here, as have mine. Leave now and stay as you are, or stay and face the same fate as your friend. Your choice."

As if answering him, the Gem beasts didn't relent and only approached him more menacingly. Ford smirked as he armed himself with his sword, more than ready to take them on. "So, I guess you're staying. Good."

 **Scuttlebutt Island 11:00 AM**

Steven glanced back at where Lapis and Peridot left, knowing that it wouldn't do any good for him to go after them. "Dang it…" Steven said sadly as he sat alongside Dipper, and then drew in the sand with his finger. "This whole mission was a bust, just like when Captain Grissom ran into that Zyphrillian ambush in the climax of the second book."

"Not fluent in 'nerd', but I get it." Dipper said, just as disappointed as he was. At least Robbie was comforting Mabel, even though the girl was too depressed to appreciate it.

"What are we going to tell Grunkle Ford?" Mabel asked as she sat on one of the larger rocks resting in the water close to the shore, ignoring Robbie's comforting hand on her back. "We ditched him over nothing." Without anything else to do, she picked up one of the smaller pebbles resting on the stone she was sitting on and skipped it across the surface of the lake.

Soon enough, a soft, sudden rumbling sent ripples across the otherwise calm waters, something that did not go unnoticed by Mabel or Robbie. "Hey… Did you guys feel that?" she asked Dipper and Steven, who both shook their heads no. However, they did feel it as it the ground rattled once more, which caused the rock that Mabel was sitting on to sink into the water as she fell in. Robbie would've gone after her, but she was quick to swim the short distance back to shore, and by now, everyone, save for Lapis and Peridot, had their attention turned towards the lake as a tall, ominous silhouette moved through the mist further out on the lake.

"Wait…" Steven said as he strained his eyes to get a better look at the mysterious shape. "Is that…?"

"This is it!" Mabel exclaimed excitedly, her hope renewed as the silhouette clearly shifted about in the fog. "It's the real thing this time! Come on! This is our chance!" she encouraged as she took out a camera and began to snap pictures at the approaching figure. However, instead of trying to catch a photo of the silhouette, Steven, Mabel, and Robbie all backed up in sudden apprehension, especially as they heard a sinister growl come from the lake. "What's wrong with you guys?" Mabel asked as she turned towards them in confusion upon seeing their fearful expressions.

"Mabel…?" Dipper whispered worriedly as she watched the monstrous figure begin to rise out of the lake.

"Cutie, I'm going to need a bigger axe…" Robbie breathed in obvious shock, his jaw dropping nearly to the ground.

"Oh, why did they have to leave now?" Steven asked, his voice shaking a bit as he glanced back towards where Lapis and Peridot abandoned them.

"It's not that hard, you guys," Mabel said, clearly unaware of the danger right behind her. "All you got to do is point and shoot. Like this!" At long last, she turned around to try and catch a picture of the monster, only to encounter the fearsome creature face-to-face.

The Gobblewonker certainly lived up to the terror surrounding it; it was a huge, menacing beast, its long, snakelike neck towering high into the air and its deadly, serpentine fangs overlapping its long lower jaw. Its skin was dark green and scaly, its body wide and finned in several places, despite its rather small appendages that were clearly meant for maximum mobility in the water. Its eyes were a piercing, glowing yellow and its nostrils flared as it took in the scent of its potential prey.

The beast let out a bone-chilling, ravenous roar, one that startled even Lapis and Peridot, who could see the monster from their location, their ongoing argument finally dying out. Likewise, Mabel didn't even notice as his camera slipped out of her hands and fell to the ground as she stared at the Gobblewonker in frozen fear, before both Dipper and Steven thankfully brought her back to her senses as they began to drag her away as fast as they could.

"Run!" Robbie shouted, and no one protested as they all turned and sped off in the opposite direction, hoping to get to the boat before the Gobblewonker could catch up with them. But of course, the monster perused them, growling ferociously all the while. Knowing that they had to defend them against this beast, Lapis and Peridot ran back, with Peridot arming her fingers and Lapis using her water powers as they attacked the monster, though it was all for naught as the Gobblewonker didn't flinch from Peridot's lasers. Lapis stood a better chance by restraining the beast to the ocean with her powers, but the Gobblewonker somehow fired lasers from its eyes at her, which distracted Lapis enough times for her realize that she couldn't keep this up, which forced the duo to retreat with the rest of the group.

"This thing isn't a Gem monster!" Peridot yelled frantically, having not spotted a Gem on its large body anywhere.

"Who _**cares**_?!" Lapis shouted back as she sprouted water wings and flew alongside Peridot. "I can't keep it confined to the ocean, so unless we beat this thing, we're as good as dead!"

"You know what you guys _**could**_ do?" Steven asked with an exasperated expression as he ran alongside them, hoping that this situation would be enough to finally convince them to mend their relationship. Soon enough, Lapis scooped him in her arms, but kept him close to Peridot as they fled.

"We can't, Steven!" Peridot exclaimed, even though she knew that Amazonite would be the best option when all their lives were in mortal danger.

As the Gobblewonker let out another roar, everyone ran faster, knowing that there really was no plan for defeating the monster now as much as there was a need to survive. "Get back to the boat!" Robbie exclaimed in a panic. "Hurry!"

Dipper let out a fearful yelp as the Gobblewonker snapped its massive maw at him, prompting him to leap onto Robbie's back and hitch a ride. Mabel turned and tried to run backwards, her camera poised to snap a great picture of the Gobblewonker, considering its proximity to them. However, what she failed to see in doing so was the root sticking up out of the ground, that is, until it tripped her up and caused the camera to fall out of her hands. "The picture!" she exclaimed as she quickly picked himself up off the ground and raced to reclaim the camera, before Robbie ultimately grabbed her for her own safety.

"Robbie!" Mabel protested as he struggled against the teen's secure hold, even though she formed a small blush from his proximity.

"Cutie, I'd never forgive myself if something happened to you! Also, Prof. Pines would totally kill me!" Robbie said concernedly between heavy breaths.

Thankfully, the other end of the island soon came into view and with it, so did Robbie's boat still nestled into the sandy shore. No one hesitated to hop on board and as soon as everyone had, Robbie quickly shoved the boat back into the water before jumping on himself and starting the engine. The boat lurched backwards as everyone clung tightly onto the railing, watching with baited breath as the Gobblewonker leapt into the water and swam after them.

"All right!" Mabel exclaimed as she pulled out another camera and aimed it towards the Gobblewonker. "Here we go." However, as she looked through the viewfinder, she let out a dismayed scoffed at what he saw. "Cracked lens?! Robbie! Quick, get a photo!"

Robbie was, in fact, doing quite the opposite of that as he continued to steer the boat backwards, tossing all his spare cameras at the Gobblewonker in the hopes that one would strike it enough to stun it. He would've done it with his axe, but he only had the one. Lapis joined him in doing the same thing as she threw all of hers and Peridot's at it, even though they all missed. Lapis would've assaulted it with her water powers, but its bizarre laser eyes would mean certain death for any of the human passengers.

"What are you doing, guys?!" Mabel exclaimed in a panic, having no idea how many cameras were left now, though she imagined it wasn't that many.

"Oh, don't worry, cutie!" Robbie reassured her. "I still got one left!" He tossed his last camera Mabel's way, however, his aim was off as it missed her and instead crashed into the nearby cliff side that the boat was sticking close to. Of course, the camera shattered into several pieces upon impact, all of them falling into the water as Mabel merely sighed in aggravation, knowing that they were getting nowhere as far as getting a picture of the monster went.

The Gobblewonker soon dove down into the water, going deep enough so that it could no longer be easily seen. As Robbie continued to push the boat as fast as it would go, the kids and the Gems all kept close to the railing as they peered into the water, keeping a close lookout for the strange, dangerous monster.

 **Gravity Falls Forest 11:15 AM**

Ford had been doing an admirable job against these Gem monsters. As each one attacked him, he sliced through their physical forms with ease, collecting their gemstones, an unrelenting force of nature. Of course, he wound up with several tears in his clothes as the fight raged on, some even drawing his blood.

Just as Ford was about to take down a Gem creature, a Gem Tiger emerged from behind him and sunk its sharp teeth into his left shoulder, which made the elderly scientist howl in pain as it tossed him aside into a nearby tree trunk. Ford glanced at his wound, his blood coating the entirety of his shoulder, but the elderly scientist merely ripped off the blood-soaked clothing and defiantly stood against the Gem Tiger.

Ford loudly yelled as he effortlessly chopped off the Gem Tiger's head, which made it recede into its gemstone and allowed Ford to collect it as he did the others. Unfortunately, he was soon surrounded by identical beasts, which made him grimace in unbridled rage as he attacked the horde.

However, this time he was done collecting the gemstones as he aimed for any he could find, which shattered them on impact. Ford continued his now-lethal assault as he mercilessly shattered every one of the Gem beasts' gemstones he encountered, which dissolved their physical forms in a way that would halt regeneration, at least for now.

Still, he remained outnumbered, and gained several tears in the upper half of his clothes, which forced him to remove them, revealing his washboard abs with nearly-faded scars. However, Ford remained undaunted as he continued his attack, even though he gained several bloody gashes around his torso.

Soon enough, he was surrounded by countless gem shards and stood proudly against the few, remaining Gem beasts, who now had fearful looks on their faces as Ford coldly gazed at them.

"You monsters miscalculated. I was never trapped here with you. You were trapped here…with _**me**_!" Ford declared as he relentlessly went after the now-fleeing Gem beasts, coldly shattering their gems or severely crippling their physical forms in the process. After a few sickening slashes, most of their shards fell to the ground, with only one limping away, whimpering softly.

While Ford was tempted to finish that one off, he already ended the lives of so many others, so he let it go. However, his rage was still unfinished as he stared at the forest clearing where the beasts emerged and formed an angered scowl. "Who else wants some?!" Ford defiantly yelled, only hearing the echoes of his voice as a response.

With that, Ford took long, slow breaths as he deactivated his laser sword and smiled in his triumph. After a few moments, he slowly gathered all the gem shards and stored them in his discarded, but intact, coat pockets. Thankfully, he had enough room for them all and gently carried it out of the forest, a relieved smile on his face.

 **Gravity Falls Lake (Valentino Family Boat) 11:23 AM**

"Guys, I have no idea what happened in the past, but we need Amazonite, now!" Steven yelled frantically to Lapis and Peridot as the Gobblewonker reared its ugly head again, quickly gaining on them.

The two Gems shared a hesitant glance at each other, knowing that despite their problems, this was the best option. While they were unsure if they could ever mend their relationship, at least fighting the Gobblewonker would save the kids and Robbie.

As their respective gems glowed, Steven, Dipper, and Mabel gasped in amazement as they started to dance. Peridot and Lapis interlocked their fingers as they started to waltz elegantly, but Lapis' rhythm was off, so she accidentally stepped on Peridot's artificial feet a few times, much to the green Gem's ire, unaware that she wasn't doing it on purpose. In retaliation, Peridot "accidentally" stepped on Lapis' feet, which made the blue Gem howl in pain as their bodies glowed white and started to fuse into each other. However, their fusion failed as their shared form wavered briefly before it tossed both Gems out.

"So, you want to try that again?" Lapis said sarcastically as she rubbed her injured feet. "Except, you know, with less stomping on my feet with your stupid limb enhancers?!"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Peridot coldly said, before she formed an angered scowl. "Maybe if you hadn't been attempting to damage my limb enhancers or remembered how you punched me, your feet would be fine!"

"I'm sorry about that, Peri! But, the former were accidents! You stomped on my feet on purpose!" Lapis yelled bitterly.

Peridot then pushed Lapis away, but Steven decided to intervene before the situation could escalate. "Guys, I don't know why you're so bitter towards each other, but you need to put it aside!" Steven yelled in a volume that surprised everyone within earshot, especially himself. However, he then glanced towards their current situation and said, "Not to mention the fact that if you don't form Amazonite, we'll all be eaten by a giant lake monster!"

Soon enough, that happened mere moments after Steven's declaration. The Gobblewonker threw its head back as it roared loudly before it rushed forward and swept the boat. Seeing its advantage, the monster snapped once more, this time at the back end of the boat. Dipper and Mabel were lucky enough to evade it, but Steven was swallowed whole in the creature's fearsome maw.

"Steven!" everyone cried, though Lapis and Peridot screamed the loudest.

However, there was no time to mourn Steven's apparent demise as the Gobblewonker attacked once more, though it missed this time. Still, the damage it had done to the boat meant certain doom for the group, even more so as the boat propelled towards a dead end.

"What the hell are we supposed to do?!" Lapis exclaimed, distraught over Steven.

"I don't know!" Peridot screamed as she looked towards the Gobblewonker, knowing that they had to save Steven…if he wasn't already digested by now.

"It's kind of obvious what you need to do!" Dipper fiercely yelled as he gazed at the duo. "You need to form Amazonite and save Steven!"

The two Gems sighed in resignation, knowing that they had to put their differences aside if they could save Steven. "He's right." Peridot admitted as she turned towards Lapis. "There's no alternative if we want to save Steven."

Lapis nonchalantly nodded as their fingers interlocked once more, ready to fuse into Amazonite. As they danced, with Dipper intently watching them, Mabel headed towards Robbie to navigate the remnants of their boat away from the Gobblewonker.

"Cutie, what do we do?!" Robbie yelled fearfully, knowing that they were about to crash into the waterfall at this point.

Thankfully, Mabel remembered to bring the journal with her and took it out of her interior coat pocket to flip through the pages for anything that could be helpful. "Uh, go into the falls!" she exclaimed after she skimmed through a line that briefly mentioned the waterfall. "There should be a cave behind there!"

" _ **Should**_ be?!" Dipper asked incredulously as he briefly turned away from watching Lapis and Peridot fuse to see that they were about to hit the waterfall. As the Gems fused, the remaining three let out screams of terror and covered their eyes to avoid having to see their inevitable impact. However, instead of striking the waterfall and whatever was behind it, something else happened instead.

Right before the boat collided with the falls, several larger artificial fingers levitated the trio, which kept them safe from harm as their boat crashed into the cave. When they opened their eyes, they saw who owned the fingers that saved their lives, and gasped in amazement.

It took a few moments for them to realize that it had been Amazonite that saved them all, and she did fit the "sort-of giant woman" Lapis mentioned earlier. She stood around fifteen feet tall and shared most of Peridot and Lapis' physical traits: most of Lapis' frame, but with Peridot's chest and hips and Lapis' nose and mouth. Her hair mainly resembled Peridot's, but she had some of Lapis' bangs. She had aqua green skin, Peridot's gem in her forehead, and Lapis' gem in her back, but they were of a more varied coloration. Her outfit was a mix of the two Gems as well, with Lapis' now-aqua green sash around her waist, aqua green arm and legs bands, and Peridot's now-aqua green limb enhancers around her hands and feet. She also wore a matching version of Lapis' dress, but with Peridot's large star symbol across the right side of her chest and an aqua green-tinted, clear visor. Oddly, she had four arms with matching limb enhancers, three of which had lent one of their fingers to save the trio while her whole one held to the cliffside, close to the waterfall.

Dipper, Mabel, and Robbie stared at Amazonite in silent amazement for a few moments, before the Gobblewonker broke it as it sped towards the cave. Amazonite managed to beat it into the cave, still holding onto the three humans as she summoned her water wings and flew inside. She then moved her artificial fingers to safely deposit them, with her fingers rejoining the others as she levitated above the water with her wings, which gave her some breathing room in the cave.

"Stay here." Amazonite advised in an enticing, ethereal voice as she stared at the speeding Gobblewonker. The monster passed through the cave entrance, it's terrifying maw snapping at all of them. However, its large body wound up getting stuck halfway through.

"It's stuck?" Dipper asked in disbelief as he turned towards Amazonite, her cold, teal eyes glaring at the monster that took Steven from her.

Mabel breathed a sigh of relief as she laughed at this fortunate turn of events. However, she soon realized what this meant for her. "Wait, it's stuck?" Mabel asked as a wider grin emerged on her face. Acting fast, she patted herself down for a surviving camera, only to realize that they were all gone. However, Dipper walked up to her and pulled out the surviving camera from her boot, the same one she used to take Robbie's photo with, which brought a bright blush to the young girl's face.

"Oh, thanks Dip." Mabel said with a sheepish laugh as she started to take the Gobblewonker's photo several times.

"Did you get any good ones?" Dipper asked after she finished.

"They're all good ones!" Mabel exclaimed in excitement, knowing that they had the contest in the bag.

"Oh, yeah baby!" Dipper cheered. "Sea snake mix!"

After a few moments of allowing Mabel to photograph the Gobblewonker, Amazonite knew that she had to finish this. The lights from both of her Gems glowed a bright aqua green as the water from the cave floor flowed into all four of her palms before they merged together into a cannon. Amazonite's artificial fingers then armed themselves like Peridot's only instead of firing the laser, added its strange, green energy into the water cannon. When it was completed, Amazonite aimed and fired a large burst of water mixed with the green laser energy at the Gobblewonker, the impact obliterating the entire cave entrance.

As the trio gawked at the admittingly overkill display of power, nothing could prepare them for what they saw when the dust cleared. The entirety of the Gobblewonker's front half was gone, but instead of blood, the remnants of its corpse were clearly robotic.

"What the?!" Mabel exclaimed in disbelief as she and the rest of the group walked over and saw none other than a badly bruised, but still alive, McGucket, who stared at the group in equal incredulousness.

"Did I die in that explosion? If not, then this is bad." McGucket groggily said.

"You made this?! Why?!" Mabel asked in disbelief, which was silently shared by the remnants of their group, even Amazonite.

"Well, I…I…I just wanted attention!" McGucket sadly said, unable to think of any kind of excuse.

Before anyone else could ask any further questions, Steven emerged from the cockpit with a goofy grin, miraculously unharmed from that explosion. "Oh, hi guys!" Steven exclaimed cheerfully. "What just happened?"

"Steven!" everyone exclaimed in relief as Amazonite sent out all the fingers on her bottom left hand to rescue Steven, who was amazed by the sight of her.

"Whoa. You're Amazonite?" Steven asked in amazement, with her only nodding in affirmation.

"Wait, what?" Mabel asked, still trying to make sense of what just happened. "Steven, we saw you get eaten by this thing! How are you alive?"

"Trust me, I thought that I was a goner too, until I found Mr. McGucket controlling the monster." Steven revealed, and then formed a sheepish grin. "I kind of flipped out when I saw him, but he's okay. Oh, and he also gave me this so that I wouldn't hurt him!" Steven cheerfully stated as he pulled out a small, insect-like object with a turquoise gem embedded in its back.

"I found that doo-hickey when I was finding spare parts for the robut in the bottom of the lake!" McGucket revealed with a cheerful smile.

"The Water Beetle!" Amazonite exclaimed as she lovingly embraced Steven as gently as she could in this form, which made the young boy smile warmly as he put the beetle back into his pants pocket. However, Steven soon formed a sheepish grin when the embrace ended and asked, "Uh…do you know who I am?"

Amazonite chuckled softly as she sang a small reprise of the song he and Dipper sung together, her voice rivaling the enticing tones of sirens. _"I don't care if I get to see you turn into…"_ she trailed off, wanting Steven to finish the rest.

Steven let out a gasp of surprised joy as he eagerly completed the melody with an awestruck whisper. "A giant woman!"

"Well, sort-of giant woman." Amazonite admitted as she laughed exactly like Lapis, which made Steven form a warm smile as she sent him down to join the twins and Robbie.

Amid this touching exchange, there were still unanswered questions about the Gobblewonker. "Wait, there's still a lot of things that don't add up here." Mabel said with a frown as the group turned to see McGucket.

"Oh, well first I hootenanied up a biomechanical brainwave generator!" McGucket began, going into detail on how his robot worked. "And then I learned how to operate a stick shift with ma beard!"

"Okay, not fluent in 'nerd', but why'd you, do it?" Dipper asked.

"Well, when you get to be an old feller like me, no one pays attention to you, anymore." McGucket revealed with a sad frown as he removed his hat. "My only son hasn't visited me in years! So, I thought I'd tickle his fancy with a fifteen-ton aquatic robot!" He broke out into a small fit of maniacal laughter before he calmed down and said, "In retrospect, it seems a bit contrived. You just don't know what old-timers are willing to do to spend time with their families."

Dipper and Mabel exchanged guilty frowns, both unable to stop thinking about Ford. While they knew that their grunkle wasn't the most exciting man in the world, he still wanted to spend time with them, and how did they repay him?

"Whoa. Now I kind of wish I hadn't taken you from Prof. Pines." Robbie admitted and then formed a sheepish expression. "Uh, sorry if that sounds a little cold, but it's true."

"Did you ever…tell your son how you felt?" Steven asked, showing some empathy towards the elderly man, which they all shared.

"Nope. I just went straight to working on the robut!" McGucket proclaimed as a projector rose up from the remains of the Gobblewonker, which cast an image of the monster's blueprints of the monster onto the inner side of the cockpit. "I made lots of robuts in my day!" he continued as he showed extensive depictions on some of his past robots. "Like when my wife left me after she took one of my kidneys in the divorce settlement and I created a homicidal pterodactyl-tron! Or when my best friend Ernie didn't come to my retirement party, I constructed an eighty-ton _**shame**_ robut that exploded the whole downtown area!" McGucket exclaimed as he laughed maniacally once again. "Well, back to work on my death ray!" he announced as he went back inside and started to work on his next project before he held out his hand once more. "Any of you kids have a screwdriver?"

"Well, so much for the photo contest." Mabel sighed as she reluctantly threw the camera away.

"You know, I still have one left." Steven said as he pulled out the last camera from his shirt pocket and handed it to Mabel.

"So, what do you want to do with it?" Dipper asked Mabel with a grin, even though they both knew the answer.

 **Gravity Falls Lake 12:00 PM**

Ford let out a relieved sigh as he made it back to his thankfully untouched supplies he'd brought for the water analysis. However, it was clear that the elderly scientist had done enough for one day as he gazed at the supplies morosely. He sighed in resignation, wishing that he hadn't been dragged along to fight Gem monsters when he should've been having fun with Dipper and Mable. Although, they made their choice by going with Robbie on the monster hunt, though Ford had his suspicions that Mabel had more than one reason to ditch him. Still, it seemed that nothing would lift his sprits.

"Prof. Pines! We all made it back alive!" Robbie called out as he drove the remnants of his family's boat and parked by the docks. The entire group disembarked, sans Amazonite who'd been flying with Steven in the palm of one of her hands, with Dipper and Mabel rushing towards their grunkle.

"Whoa, kids?" Ford asked in amazement as he smiled brightly. "This is incredible! I thought that you were out on a monster hunt!" Ford then glanced at Amazonite and stared at her in confusion. "Uh, have we met before?" Ford asked in confusion, a familiar sensation bombarding his temples.

"It's us Ford, Lapis and Peridot." Amazonite clarified as the old man continued to stare at them in confusion. "This is our Gem fusion."

Ford soon shrugged and said, "Well, that's…nice. Oh, you should probably have this." Ford said as he handed them his damaged robe, with the gemstones and gem shards still within, which made Amazonite gasp in concern.

"You fought against these many gem monsters?!" Amazonite asked incredulously before she encased the coat in a teal bubble and sent it away.

"Yeah, it wasn't pleasant." Ford casually stated as he gestured to his several injuries, with Amazonite looking concerned at the bite mark on his shoulder.

"Should we fly you to the nearest hospital?" Amazonite asked.

"I'll live. Besides, I think that I've survived worse." Ford said as he then turned towards the twins. "So, what made you decide to come back?"

"We spent all day trying to find a "legendary" dinosaur…" Mabel trailed off, allowing Dipper to finish.

"But we realized that the only dinosaur we want to hang out with is you!" Dipper finished chipperly as he embraced their injured grunkle, which made him wince in pain.

"Okay, I feel the love, but I'm in a lot of pain right now!" Ford gruffly said as Dipper quickly released his grip on the old man.

"I'm sorry that you had to go through what I'm guessing was a lot. Still, do you think that maybe we could still do that water analysis thing?" Mabel offered as she and Dipper grabbed their respective lab coats, which made the elderly scientist grin hopefully.

"Thanks for the offer, kids, but I think we should head to the shack for now." Ford suggested, before he formed an eager smile and said, "Who's up for a movie marathon while I tend to my injuries?"

"We are!" Dipper and Mabel said simultaneously as they headed to Ford's car with the supplies, only for Ford to clear in throat when he realized that he was too injured to drive back. He then turned towards Robbie and asked, "Can you drive us back home, Robbie?"

Robbie nodded in agreement as he took Ford's keys and allowed the injured scientist to rest in the passenger seat while Dipper and Mabel sat in the back. Despite all that they went through today, Ford smiled happily at the twins, which they returned as they drove back to the shack in a comfortable silence.

 **Crystal Temple (Front Yard) 12:05 PM**

Jasper had long since returned from her mission and aside from severe static cling with every fabric she encountered, it was a success. As such, she waited for the others to return patiently by the front yard, forming a smile when she saw Robbie and the Pines family drive by the temple. Soon enough, Amazonite arrived with Steven in one of her hands, the sight bringing a unique smile to Jasper's face.

"Hi, Jasper!" Steven said cheerfully as one of Amazonite's fingers carried him down and dropped him safely on the ground before returning. "We're back!"

"Where's the Water Beetle?" Jasper asked, hoping that they succeeded in their mission.

"Wait, what?!" Amazonite said incredulously as her form wavered for a few moments before it deposited Lapis and Peridot onto the ground.

"Oh, I knew we were forgetting something!" Peridot lamented.

"It's cool. Even if Jasper beats you into a pulp, you're still the cutest Crystal Gem." Lapis said with a flirtatious wink, with Peridot forming her usual blush. However, this time she formed a small, but flattered smile.

"Wait, I still have the beetle!" Steven exclaimed as he fished it out from his pants pocket and handed it to Jasper, much to Peridot and Lapis' relief.

"Good job, Steven." Jasper said as she took the Water Beetle and placed it in a small terrarium alongside the Lightning Beetle before she bubbled it away. "I also see that you helped Lapis and Peridot mend some fences."

"Yeah, and all he had to do was get eaten by a giant robotic lake monster!" Lapis casually revealed, which made Jasper's eyes widen in shock.

"What?!" Japser yelled incredulously as Lapis broke out into a nervous sweat.

"Uh…what I meant was…" Lapis trailed off before she summoned her wings and flew off at speeds that would be rivaled by rocket ships.

"Lapis!" Jasper ferociously yelled as she vainly chased her.

After the two left, Peridot and Steven shared a good-natured laugh at Lapis' expense before Peridot formed a sincere smile and embraced Steven. "Thank you, Steven. You did well today."

"It's cool, Peridot. Besides, you and Lapis saved the day." Steven modestly pointed out as her embrace ended.

"True, but who knows? Maybe you'll be great at fusion someday too." Peridot admitted as she walked towards the temple.

"Yeah." Steven said with a wide grin, before he stopped in his tracks as he caught on to what she said. "Wait, you think I can do that, too?!"

 **AN: Well, this took a lot of time, but I feel that it was worth it. Once again Minijen, it's been an honor and I'll continue to do my best with this.**

 **So, rate, review, and I'll be back with the next chapter as soon as I can.**

 **Next time—Chapter 3: Where the Waters Lie**


	3. Where the Waters Lie

**AN: Hello again, everyone! I'm sincerely grateful for all your support and I'm happy that you're all enjoying the story.**

 **Now, the adventure continues!**

Momswap Rises

Chapter 3: Where the Waters Lie

 **Ford's House 1** **st** **Floor (Living Room) 9:00 PM**

It had been a few days since the Gobblewonker incident, and thankfully there'd been a period of peace since then. There had been no Gem monster attacks or supernatural creatures to encounter, something that bode well with the kids. While the Gems still went on their missions, Steven was often left behind because they were "too dangerous" for him to go on, but he didn't mind it as much; now he had Connie, Dipper, and Mabel to hang out with.

As such, he'd decided to take advantage of that with a slumber party, which Dipper primarily orchestrated, with some help from Connie. Thankfully, Connie managed to get permission from her parents to attend, though her father would be there to pick her up at 6 o'clock in the morning. Even though Mabel originally showed some disdain towards the party, she couldn't help but smile as it progressed, with the highlight being the current moment of the kids in their pajamas, watching the popular mystery-drama _Duck-tective_ , though Dipper and Connie had the most enthusiasm for the show.

" _I'm afraid that your services won't be necessary here, sir."_ The constable said on the screen said to the titular hero, who was literally an ordinary duck wearing a detective's hat, as they stood next to the scene of the crime. _"My men have examined the evidence and this was clearly an accident."_

Duck-tective quickly offered a stout response, though it came out as subtitled quacks. _"An accident, constable? Or is it…murder?!"_ the crime-solving bird challenged.

" _What?!"_ the constable yelled incredulously, with Dipper and Connie gasping in amazement. They soon let out sighs of disappointment when the show cut to a commercial break.

"Whoa! I never saw that coming!" Connie said with an awed grin. "How does Duck-tective do it?"

"I know, right?!" Dipper agreed as he munched on some popcorn he and Connie had been sharing. "That duck is a genius!"

"Eh, it's easier to find clues when you're that close to the ground." Mabel said dismissively.

"And it _**was**_ obvious that it was a murder. Steven added. "People don't wind up getting crushed by telephone booths by accident."

Dipper and Connie shared an incredulous glance at each other upon hearing that, rapidly ready to challenge the claim. "Are you guys saying that you could outwit Duck-tective?" Dipper asked, eyeing his sister, specifically.

"W-W-Well, he _**is**_ a duck." Steven answered, stuttering somewhat.

"He's also a _**smart**_ duck, Steven." Connie lightly protested. "Plus, he looks pretty good with that hat."

"That doesn't matter." Mabel scoffed. "Besides, I have very keen powers of observation. For example, Dipper, just from smelling your breath I know that you've been eating…" She trailed off to take in the scent of her brother's breath, only to frown in confusion. "…an entire tub of cookie dough ice cream?"

"It combined my two favorite desserts." Dipper guiltily admitted, remembering the stomach ache he'd experienced a few hours prior.

"Hey, kids! Who's up for a rousing game of _Dungeons, Dungeons, and More Dungeons_?" Ford asked excitedly as he held out the game board, with Mabel and Steven's eyes lighting up when he entered the room.

"Whoa! I haven't played that since I got here!" Mabel said in amazement.

"Yeah, I have the -80s edition back home!" Steven added and then formed a sheepish expression. "Although, that's only because it was my dad's old copy and he wanted me to have it."

"And, why wouldn't he? It's the greatest board game ever made!" Ford yelled excitedly as he turned towards Dipper and Connie with an eager expression. "What about you two?"

"Hard pass." Connie said dismissively.

"Calling Planet Nerd! Calling Planet Nerd!" Dipper playfully added, which made Connie lightly chuckle as she shared a fist bump with him.

"Well, their loss. Who wants to save Princess Unattainabelle from the evil wizard Probabilitor the Annoying?!" Ford asked eagerly to Steven and Mabel.

"We do!" Steven and Mabel said simultaneously as they left with Ford to play in the kitchen, with Dipper and Connie snorting in derision afterwards.

"Those nerds." Dipper said good-naturedly.

"Yeah, but they're our nerds." Connie stated with a sincere grin.

"Amen to that, but those guys are missing out." Dipper said as he formed a joyful smile. "We're going to have the most fun tonight!"

"Yeah! This is going to be awesome!" Connie added as she took out a can of spray cheese and noisily ate from it, with Dipper cheering her on.

"Go! Go! Go!" Dipper encouraged as he then took out one of his own and did the same, only removing it briefly to proclaim, "We can party forever!"

 **Ford's House 2** **nd** **Floor (Attic) 1:15 AM**

Despite Dipper's belief, the two wound up falling asleep mere moments after his proclamation, with Ford carrying them both upstairs as Mabel and Steven followed him. He laid Dipper in his own bed and laid Connie in Mabel's bed, with Steven and Mabel joining them, respectively, when it was time for them to sleep.

As such, Dipper and Steven slept soundly in the latter's bed while Connie loudly snored, much to her bunkmate's ire. Mabel was the only one who had trouble going to sleep, which forced her to cover her ears with her pillow until she fell into a deep sleep.

Unfortunately, it didn't last long enough as Mabel was aroused by the unwanted need after only three hours' worth of sleep, one that she blamed herself for not doing before she went to bed.

"Ugh, I hate it when this happens." Mabel groggily said to herself as she discretely slipped out of bed, seething from Connie's rampant snoring as she then jealously glanced at the slumbering boys. "How are they not bothered by this?" Mabel asked herself before her need regained her full attention as she started to go downstairs to take care of it.

However, as she opened the door, instead of an unobstructed path towards the bathroom, she came across a tall, mysterious figure blocking the stairs. Given that it was too dark to get a clear look, and Mabel was still groggy from too little sleep, she initially assumed it to be Grunkle Ford, but why would he be blocking her way right now?

It wasn't until she breathed through her nostrils that an unfamiliar stench made her lightly gag enough to know that it was someone she'd never met before. She didn't have time to further react as the mysterious being placed its hand on her face, which glowed dark green upon contact. Suddenly, Mabel fell into an involuntary slumber, with the mysterious creature catching her mere moments before she fell onto the floor.

The creature then silently walked towards the slumbering Connie, with it repeating the process, which oddly ended Connie's snoring as it took her as well. It then began to gag before regurgitating a large, metallic, dark blue egg that it left in their bed. The creature chuckled mirthlessly as it silently absconded with the two girls.

 **Ford's House 1** **st** **Floor (Living Room) 6:00 AM**

After some much-needed rest, Steven and Dipper woke up to the rather cacophonous sound of Connie's parents coming to pick her up. They reluctantly got out of bed, too tired to realize that Mabel and Connie weren't sleeping in the latter's bed, and traversed downstairs.

The duo rubbed their respective eyes as they gazed at Ford in his pajamas talking to Connie's parents, though her mother seemed much calmer than her husband at this moment.

Connie's father was a tan-skinned man in his late 30s with short, dark brown hair and black eyes. He wore a tan, buttoned-up shirt with a navy-blue tie, blue dress pants, and a pair of glasses. He also wore a pale brown jacket with black dress shoes. This was Dr. Doug Maheswaren.

Connie's mother was a tan-skinned woman in her late 30s that looked exactly like an older Connie, down to her long dark brown hair and black eyes. She wore a pale blue shirt, tan pants, and dark red shoes. His was Priyanka Maheswaren.

"Prof. Pines, where is my daughter?" Doug asked tersely.

"Honey, calm down. She's probably just getting changed or using the bathroom." Priyanka said placatingly.

Suddenly, Doug looked at the young boys and formed an angered scowl. "Why are there boys around Connie's age in this house?"

"Dr. Maheswaren, calm down." Ford said as he gestured towards the boys. "This is Dipper, Mabel's twin brother and this is Steven, their mutual friend."

"Connie neglected to mention that Mabel had a brother _**or**_ that her new friend would be attending the slumber party." Doug said suspiciously.

"Uh, I guess she thought that you wouldn't mind?" Dipper suggested as he broke out into a nervous sweat.

"Y-Y-Yeah. W-W-We slept in different beds and everything." Steven added as he formed an anxious blush.

"Regardless, she's coming home right now." Doug said through clenched teeth as he walked towards the stairs and yelled for her to come downstairs, much to Priyanka's exasperation.

"Oh, I love that man, but he's so protective when it comes to Connie." Priyanka said to herself as she led her husband away from the stairwell after he finished.

As Doug and Priyanka waited, it was clear that Connie hadn't heard them, which made Doug nervous. While they knew that Connie was a heavy sleeper, she always woke up when it was time to leave for somewhere, especially when Doug called for her. As such, Doug began to seethe, with Ford silently volunteering to look for her upstairs.

After a few moments, Ford let out a fearful scream as he quickly traversed downstairs, carrying the mysterious egg the creature had left the night before. When he laid it on the couch, he stared at Connie's parents in anxiety.

"So, I think we have a problem." Ford said nervously as Doug and Priyanka stared at him incredulously, though Doug more so.

 **Ford's House 1** **st** **Floor (Kitchen) 6:35 AM**

After a rather heated discussion, one that ended with Ford giving Doug a black eye when Doug attempted to hit him, the police arrived at the scene. Sheriff Durland had a stoic expression on his face as he jotted down the facts of the crime, though he could only go on Ford's word.

"So, everything's fine during their slumber party. Then, out of nowhere, a stranger apparently kidnaps them and leaves behind this egg in the middle of the night!" Ford yelled fearfully as he held it in hands.

"Not to mention the fact that she was spending the night with two unrelated boys around her age." Doug said suspiciously, more concerned with Connie's safety than Mabel's.

"We had nothing to do with this, Doc!" Dipper yelled angrily, which made Doug's fists clench in anger.

"Honey, calm down. We're going to find her and Mabel." Priyanka said as she gently cupped her husband's hands.

"Yeah, Mrs. Maheswaren's right. We'll find them." Steven said encouragingly, though he was deeply concerned with the fate of the two girls as well, especially Connie.

Suddenly, Sheriff Durland pinched the ridge of his nose in exasperation and said, "Look, this is an awful crime, but this is unsolvable."

Everyone in the room let out gasps of disbelief at that comment, with Dipper forming an angered expression and then said, "You better take that back, sheriff! That's my sister and one of my friends you're talking about!"

"Mabel is my great-niece. I promised her parents that I would protect her!" Ford said tersely.

"Connie is our daughter! Nothing in our house is more important than family!" Doug yelled as he approached Sheriff Durland menacingly, which forced Priyanka to hold him back.

"I'm angry too, but keep it together, Doug!" Priyanka said as she restrained her husband.

"Someone took them for some reason! There's no way this can't be solved!" Steven hastily yelled.

"I'm sorry, folks, but there's nothing to go on here for a standard kidnapping." Sheriff Durland bluntly stated.

"Well, what about this freaky egg, huh?!" Dipper suggested as he pointed towards it.

"It looks fancy, but it's probably just a weird calling card." Deputy Blubs stated.

"My partner's right, folks. We don't have anything to go on, so the most we can do is file a report." Sheriff Durland said reluctantly as he approached Connie's parents and laid a comforting hand on both of their shoulders. "I am so sorry that this happened, but you two should head home and wait for a call."

"Yep, we'll find them, dead or alive!" Deputy Blubs declared, which made them widen their eyes in anxiety.

"What?!" they all yelled incredulously, which made Deputy Blubs nervously break out into a sweat.

"What he means is alive. Not dead, alive." Sheriff Durland stated as he hastily pushed him out the door, chuckling nervously as he slammed it.

The group shared morose sighs as Doug and Priyanka went home to await the call, while Ford fiercely slammed the egg onto the floor in anger.

"I should've been awake. I should've done something!" Ford declared as he punched a nearby wall.

"Grunkle Ford, it's not your fault! The only one to blame is whoever took them!" Dipper said placatingly, struggling not to cry.

"Dipper's right, Prof. Pines! Look, I really don't know how, but we're going to find whoever took the girls and bring them back." Steven said encouragingly.

"Yeah, there's a lot of monsters and Gem creatures in Gravity Falls that could've done this." Ford conceded as he composed himself. "Without knowing what we're up against, there's no way to find out what happened to them."

"So, what should we do? You're the genius, here." Dipper said as Ford tapped his chin in thought.

"The Gems have been around enough that they might know something about this egg." Ford proposed as he handed the heavy egg to Steven, which the young boy managed to carry with ease. He then turned to his great-nephew and said, "Dipper, you should stay here with me while we wait for the call."

"Can do, Prof. Pines!" Steven said, eager to find the girls.

"What?! Grunkle Ford, Mabel's my sister! I'm going to help find her every step of the way!" Dipper yelled.

"Dipper, you don't even know what you're up against! You could get kidnapped or killed doing this!" Ford pointed out.

"So, what?! Do you have _**any**_ idea what it's like to grow up alongside someone and how you'd do anything for that person, no matter how different they were from you?!" Dipper yelled incredulously, which made Ford rub his temples.

Suddenly, instead of relief, Ford felt immense pain surging through his mind, which forced him to collapse onto his knees, screaming fiercely. Ford felt his heart race as random images flooded his mind, but too fast to make out anything. Ford clutched his head in pain as he heard voices, some familiar, some like a distant memory. Ford continued this blood-curdling display for a few moments before the sensations stopped, which allowed him to take long, slow breaths as he calmed down. He noticed that his hands were shaking and he was in a cold sweat, which was a long-forgotten sensation, one he hadn't felt in over thirty years.

When Ford composed himself as he got up, he saw the disturbed expressions on Dipper and Steven's faces, neither of them knowing what to say or do next. He then grabbed the boys by their arms and led them outside.

"Find out what that is." Ford said to Steven, before he turned towards Dipper with a scornful look and said, "Dipper, you can help if you want, but _**never**_ say that again."

The boys nodded, albeit, slightly disturbed from Ford's earlier display. Still, they knew that they didn't have much of choice if they wanted to save Mabel and Connie. They would've gone back for the journal, but Ford's state of mind disturbed them both enough that they would have to rely on the Gems for this, and go back for it as a last resort.

With that, the two boys left, and left Ford alone with his thoughts. Ford then glanced at his hands and saw them, now trembling with fear from whatever he saw in his mind. He clasped his hands together, attempting to calm himself. As he stared at the boys leaving, he whispered to himself, "What's happening to me?"

 **Crystal Temple (Steven's Room) 6:43 AM**

After arriving at the temple, the boys entered Steven's room, only to find Lapis nonchalantly reading an obscure manga in Steven's bed. Unsure of what to do, the boys merely walked up the stairs and sat alongside Lapis, who still had no knowledge that they were there.

"Don't lose hope, Miki. Your wife is going to come back." Lapis said to herself in response to the pages, which were all in Japanese. As she flipped to the next page, Dipper's impromptu sneeze alerted her to their presence, which made Lapis squeal in surprise.

"Dipper, Steven! Uh…what are you guys doing here?!" Lapis hastily questioned as she threw her manga to the far side of the room.

"Hi, Lapis! We were hoping that you guys could help us." Steven answered with a concerned expression on his face, one that he couldn't hide from Lapis' eyes.

"Steven what's going…?" Lapis asked, only for her eyes to focus on the egg Steven was holding, which made her gasp in apprehension. "Steven…where'd you get that?" Lapis asked in a rare, fearful tone.

"That's what we need you for. We were hoping that you or the Gems might know what this is." Dipper clarified, only for Lapis to grab the boys' shirt collars and stared at them in apprehension.

"Tell me, where are Mabel and Connie?!" Lapis asked incredulously, which made Steven whimper from this uncharacteristic display.

"Lapis, calm down! You're freaking Steven out" Dipper pleaded.

"Were they taken in the middle of the night?! Did you find that in their bed?!" Lapis fearfully asked, ignoring Dipper. Steven nodded shakily to both of her questions, which made Lapis nearly drop them both in disbelief.

"L-Lapis, what's going on?" Steven shakily asked, which made Lapis realize how much she was inadvertently putting Steven through. She calmed down as best as she could and put them back down onto the bed.

"Sorry, Steven. It's just…this is some seriously bad stuff." Lapis hesitantly answered as she formed a concerned expression.

"Okay, so what do we do?" Dipper asked, wanting to save Mabel as soon as possible.

With that, Lapis stared at the two boys blankly as she took the egg from them and her gem glowed. She delicately took enough water from the kitchen sink to make a giant orb of water above their heads. She then motioned the boys to follow her lead as she placed the egg into the water orb before sticking her head inside. The boys stuck their heads in soon after, with them both holding their breaths, while Lapis seemed rather comfortable after shapeshifting a set of gills around her neck. She then found a small knob at the top of the egg and turned it clockwise, which instantly opened the egg to reveal an ethereal green light within, that was singing a beautiful song.

" _Come seek us in the murky depths, or you'll forever be perplexed. We are not simply at your porch, for this egg will be your torch. Bring what the witch stole to where the waters lie, or your sweet angels will…_ _ **DIE!**_ _"_ the disembodied voice sung gracefully, only for it to evolve into pained shrieking after the last line, which forced Dipper and Steven to remove their heads from the orb while Lapis merely closed it and exited the orb with a stern expression on her face as she sent the water down the sink drain.

"Okay, that was a 10 on the 'bust-my-eardrums-scale'!" Dipper yelled to Steven.

"What? What did you say?" Steven asked, temporarily deaf from the shrieking.

"What was that?" Dipper asked, also temporarily deaf.

Soon enough, their hearing returned and they then glanced at Lapis, who'd been holding the egg with her hands shaking in a mixture of anger and fear. She then put the egg down and turned towards Steven. "Steven, we need to go to the lake." Lapis ordered succinctly.

"Uh, what about me? Shouldn't I…?"

"No, this is too dangerous for a human!" Lapis interrupted angrily, much to Dipper and Steven's shock.

"My sister's been abducted by whatever left this egg! I'm going to bring her back!" Dipper protested.

"You don't even have a weapon, Dipper! Besides, these guys are way out of your league!" Lapis argued.

"Y-Yeah, but it's his _**sister**_ , Lapis. I'd do the same thing if I had one." Steven pointed out.

"Yes, but you don't have a sister. This is bigger than family ties!" Lapis angrily yelled with a mix of apprehension.

"What's going on here, Lapis? Why are you so scared?" Steven asked, which made Lapis blush.

"I'm…not scared, Steven. This is just a major Gem problem." Lapis defended hesitantly, but Steven formed a firm expression.

"I know that you're lying, Lapis. You know that I usually respect your privacy, but Connie and Mabel are in danger! You have to tell us!" Steven said sternly.

"Steven…it's just that…." Lapis trailed off as Steven glared at her.

"No. Whatever's going on here, Dipper and I have a right to know!" Steven yelled angrily.

Lapis stared at the two boys and recognized a fire in Steven's eyes and a pleading gaze in Dipper's. Lapis inwardly sighed to herself; it was true that they weren't always honest with Steven, but they did it for his own protection. And, over time, the boy respected their wishes and didn't pry. Steven was ordinarily patient and understanding towards their secrets but with so much at stake for him, all that went out the window. Steven had a right to know and as much as she didn't wish it were true, so did Dipper.

"Okay, but you asked for it." Lapis said morosely as her gem glowed and she slowly pulled out a large scepter from her gem. When she fully removed it, her gem returned to normal as she held out the metal-gray scepter with glowing green magic runes inscribed on the shaft, which made both boys stare in amazement.

"Whoa, what is that, Lapis?" Dipper asked.

"It's the Scepter of Servus. It's an ancient artifact native to Earth, but some…bad people had it in their possession before it wound up in the claws of the Kuroko." Lapis answered, somewhat hesitantly.

"What are Kuroko?" Dipper asked, he and Steven more focused on the current situation.

"They're Crocodile-People, an unfortunate subspecies of mermaids." Lapis replied with an odd twinge of remorse.

"So, this scepter used to belong to them?" Steven asked.

"Yes, but the scepter has an unusual effect on aquatic species. While it was used to subjugate people in the past, it has a stronger hold on those that reside in the sea. You see, the Kuroko used to be a peaceful race until they somehow got their claws on the scepter after a huge battle thousands of years ago." Lapis explained.

"What happened when they got the scepter?" Steven asked, only for Dipper's eyes to widen on Lapis' claim.

"Wait, but then that would mean…how old are you and the Gems?" Dipper asked in confusion.

"The short answer is, much older than any human." Lapis said dismissively before she returned to her story. "Now then, the scepter made them into fanatics and convinced them to guard it with their lives. But, it also convinced them that they had to eliminate the remaining aquatic races and then attack the surface world. Basically, when we had…Rose, we invaded their kingdom to prevent their attack. We barely managed to escape with the scepter that day, but the Kuroko blame me because I stored it in my gem." Lapis revealed.

"So, why'd they take Mabel and Connie?" Dipper asked, which made Lapis sigh deeply.

"The Kuroko have the ability to put children, specifically young girls, in a sleep-like state. If it isn't reversed before midnight, they turn into stone statues." Lapis bluntly answered, which made Dipper and Steven gasp in apprehension.

"What?!" both boys exclaimed incredulously.

"I know. The Kuroko couldn't use Steven as bait, but they saw Mabel and Connie as easy targets for their powers. They must've known that they were connected to the Gems because of Steven's connection with them." Lapis deduced, only to form a sheepish expression when she saw Steven's guilty expression.

"It's not your fault, Steven. The magic of the scepter has warped their minds, even in the new generation." Lapis said placatingly.

"So, why are we just sitting around?! Let's go find them!" Dipper yelled in apprehension.

"It's not that simple. The Kuroko are a nomadic people; they never stay in one place and draining the lake to find them would take too long, even with my powers." Lapis explained, which made Steven and Dipper form crestfallen expressions.

"So, how are we going to save them?" Steven asked uncertainly.

"Well, the last time we found them was by luck and we only got there because we just shapeshifted our bodies to best adapt to the water. I can do it again, but Peridot and Jasper are on their own mission." Lapis revealed.

"Wait, if Steven is going, how would that work? Steven can't shapeshift yet." Dipper pointed out.

"Well, there are certain types of magic that could enable him to survive down there for an extended period, but the closest thing on short notice would be Sakana Fruit." Lapis clarified.

"What's that?" Dipper and Steven asked simultaneously.

"It's basically a blue apple, but it has a really bitter taste." Lapis explained as she formed a disgusted expression. "I tried it once and it didn't give me powers, but I had the taste in my mouth for twelve hours."

"So, how does it work?" Steven asked, somewhat cautious to its side-effect.

"It'll allow you to survive underwater for about 24 hours. The effects wear off if you're on land and you'll return to normal when the time's up. Thankfully, I know where to find the fruit. It grows in the middle of Gravity Falls Forest." Lapis revealed as she placed the scepter back in her gem and did the same for the egg.

"Well, let's get that fruit!" Dipper said eagerly, only for Lapis to grab him by his shirt collar before he could leave.

"Fine, you can come, but don't get yourself killed. Ford will lecture me for hours if that happens." Lapis said apathetically as she relinquished her grip. The boys soon followed her as she left through the door, anxiously wanting to rescue the girls.

 **Gravity Falls Forest 7:04 AM**

Soon enough, Lapis and the boys arrived in the middle of Gravity Falls Forest and saw the Sakana Fruit tree. The tree was large enough to be a landmark, its roots traversing through all directions of the forest. It had orange foliage and matching branches, which perfectly contrasted the various bushels of the blue Sakana fruit that grew in the highest parts of the tree. Dipper and Steven gasped in amazement of this discovery, shocked that they hadn't run into it before. Meanwhile, Lapis only had a cheeky grin as she turned to the boys and said, "Close your mouths before bugs get in there."

Realizing that they had their mouths open, Dipper and Steven quickly closed their mouths as Lapis let out a much-needed laugh at their expense. "Wow! That never gets old!"

Suddenly, they heard a loud, rustling sound approaching them. Lapis' smirk faded as she summoned her water wings and flew the boys towards a nearby tree for safety. The group looked from their cover at the clearing as the mysterious figure emerged, which made them gasp in shock.

The creature appeared to be a humanoid entirely composed of vines with dark yellow eyes and no visible mouth. It scanned around the area, most likely looking for them, its eyes narrowing. After a few moments, the creature began to leave, only for Dipper to accidentally trip, which revealed his presence to the monster.

Suddenly, the vine monster's eyes narrowed as they turned to blood-red and charged at Dipper. Surprisingly, the monster moved with such speed that Dipper couldn't even blink as it landed a square blow to his chest, which made him cough up a little blood.

The creature's assault was far from over as it then drew out its own vines and wrapped Dipper until only his face remained uncovered. The creature then brought the captured Dipper towards his face, with his mouth opening to reveal several sets of sharpened teeth.

"Human." The creature growled in a demonic voice as it brought Dipper into position, intent on eating him. Dipper whimpered in fear, ready to accept his fate, only for Lapis to slice through the creature's vines with a water whip, which made him howl in pain as Dipper's prison faded into the ground itself upon impact.

Dipper quickly scurried towards the hiding place, only for the creature's vines to regenerate as he lunged for him again. However, Lapis intervened and encased the creature in a bubble of water that she got from some nearby plants. Lapis stared smugly at the creature and said, "Not today, ugly!"

Suddenly, the creature's vines protruded from its body, guzzling down the water prison. Lapis groaned in exasperation as she took more water from some nearby plants to replace the water the creature absorbed. Eventually, Lapis ran out of eligible nearby sources and could only watch as the creature's vines finished her water prison. However, instead of going after Dipper, the creature lunged towards Lapis and encased her in vines as well.

"Gem." The creature said with a scornful inflection which only increased as it then said, "You will not take the Sakana Fruit _**again**_ , colonizer."

Lapis' eyes narrowed with intense rage as she slowly started to free herself. "Do not call me a colonizer!" Lapis yelled as she broke free from her prison, much to the creature's shock. Lapis then punched the monster with all her might, but it didn't even flinch as it wrapped its vines around her ankles, undoing some of her wrappings in the process.

"You will shatter here, colonizer." The creature stoically stated as it began to throw Lapis' body violently into the ground, repeating the process regardless of her pained screams. The blows only increased as Lapis refused to retreat into her gem. This went on for an agonizing few moments for her before the creature relented and instead brought her to its face.

"You've made your choice." The creature said as it released its vines and allowed Lapis to drop unceremoniously to the floor, the blue Gem on her knees. It then transformed its vines into a sharp point before it aimed at Lapis' gem. "Any last words, colonizer?" The creature asked as Lapis nudged her head enough to meet its eyes.

"Yeah. Kiss my sweet ass!" Lapis yelled defiantly as the creature resumed its attack, only instead of a shattering sound, the creature's sharpened vines collided with Steven's shield, which the young boy had summoned as he stood behind Lapis.

"You won't hurt anyone else!" Steven yelled as he held out his shield in defiance, ready to attack the monster. However, the creature then retracted his vines and stared at the boy in reverence as his eyes returned to their normal yellow, much to his and Lapis' confusion.

"Lapis, why isn't he attacking us?" Steven asked, confused.

"I…don't know." Lapis replied uncertainly.

"Rose. Then, it's true." The creature said as it unexpectedly fell to its knees and bowed at Steven, which only further confused the boy.

"Uh, why are you bowing at me?" Steven asked as his shield faded away.

"Forgive me. I had no idea that the rumors were true. You are the son of Rose Quartz." The monster said remorsefully, which made his and Lapis' eyes widen.

"You knew my mom?!" Steven asked incredulously.

"Yes. She was the only Gem that showed a respect for nature even greater than my own people's. It is an obligation to bask in her presence." The creature answered.

"Well, if you had such respect for Rose, why didn't you do that for me? I'm a member of the Crystal Gems!" Lapis pointed out, unwilling to forget what the creature did to her and Dipper.

"We only interacted with Rose. She mentioned that she confided in an orange Gem, but that was it. I only attacked because I assumed that you were a colonizer." The vine creature explained, with Lapis flinching at the last word.

"Yes, well, all is forgiven!" Lapis hastily said as she then cleared her throat and said, "Now, if you would be so kind as to give us four Sakana Fruits, we'll be on our way."

"Anything for the child of Rose Quartz." The creature said as it extended its vines and gently plucked four Sakana Fruits from the tree, handing one personally to Steven and Dipper, the latter having hidden behind a tree until the fight was over. The creature handed the last two to Lapis, which she stored in her gem.

"Thank you. You have no idea what this means to us." Steven said sincerely as he formed a small smile.

"The praise from the child of Rose Quartz is priceless. If you ever need me again, call me by my name, and I shall be there." The creature said cryptically as he faded into the ground, presumably back to its home. However, Steven had a confused expression on his face as he said to himself, "Wait, he never told me his name."

"It's Oliver." Oliver said as he unexpectedly popped up and then retreated to his home.

"Well, that was weird." Steven said, slightly unnerved by his reappearance.

"Yeah. What kind of name is Oliver for a vine monster?" Dipper said, apparently confused.

Lapis playfully rolled her eyes as she warmly embraced the boys. "Well, now that that's over, let's go rescue the girls." Lapis said sincerely as she ended the embrace and the group headed off towards the lake.

 **Gravity Falls Lake 7:32 AM**

Lapis' group arrived at the lake, with Steven and Dipper now looking at their fruit in disgust, remembering Lapis' earlier description of the taste. Thankfully, there didn't seem to be any people nearby or in the water, so they wouldn't risk freaking anyone out with the fruit's effects.

The group walked towards the edge of the docks with Lapis in the middle, Dipper on her left side, and Steven at her right. The boys stared uncertainly at the body of water, but that faded when they remembered why they needed to do this.

"Okay, you need to eat all of the fruit for the power to work. Don't stop, no matter what." Lapis advised as Steven and Dipper stared at their respective fruits with determination.

"For Mabel." Dipper whispered.

"For Connie." Steven whispered.

With that, both boys bit into their respective fruits, instantly cringing from the taste. The boys gagged from its bitterness, but they knew they couldn't stop now. By the end of their consumption, both boys looked ready to puke, but they restrained themselves, knowing that they couldn't waste any time to go back for more.

"Ugh, that was so gross!" Dipper complained.

"I'm with you there, Dipper! Ugh!" Steven added, equally disgusted.

"Well, now that that's over, follow me." Lapis stated as she dove into the water. The boys saw a bright flash in the water and briefly gasped in shock when Lapis resurfaced, now with gills around her neck, webbed feet, and matching toes. Oddly, her original clothes were gone, now replaced with a light blue bikini.

"Whoa! You look like a mermaid!" Dipper said, astonished.

"I could look like one, but I like my foxy legs!" Lapis lightly joked as she turned to swim down, motioning for the boys to join her.

Dipper and Steven took in deep breaths as they cannonballed into the lake. However, rather than the expected uncomfortableness of swimming in their normal clothes, the effects of the fruit began to take over. Suddenly, they too grew gills around their necks as their hands and feet became webbed like Lapis'. Strangely, the fruit somehow turned their normal clothes into a tank top and swim trunks both a color that suited the boys, pink for Steven and yellow for Dipper.

"Whoa. Awesome!" Dipper praised, only to realize that he somehow said that underneath the water.

"You just talked underwater! Hey, so did I!" Steven realized.

"That's the beauty of the Sakana Fruit. We're as comfortable as fish while we're like this." Lapis revealed as she swam towards them to give them a warm embrace.

"Lapis, as much as I like this, we need to find Mabel and Connie." Dipper pointed out, which made Lapis' former fearful expression return.

"Right. We need to find the Kuroko. Stay close." Lapis advised as she pulled out the egg from her gem, only for it to glow an eerie green.

"Whoa, it's glowing!" Dipper said, astonished.

"Well, that song did say something about the egg being a torch. This must be how we'll find them!" Steven reasoned.

"Exactly, Steven! Now, let's rescue the girls!" Lapis proclaimed as she and the twins traversed through the murky depths of the lake.

 **Gravity Falls Lake (Underwater) 9:23 PM**

Lapis and the boys had concerned and exasperated expressions on their faces as they continued their currently fruitless search. While the egg had succeeded in lighting the way for them, the lake was simply too large to pinpoint the exact location so quickly. As such, they followed every direction when it glowed the brightest, a process that had grown tedious over the past few hours.

"Oh, this is bad! We should've found them by now!" Steven yelled in concern.

"Yeah! Who would've guessed that the lake was so big?!" Dipper added, exasperated.

"Tell me about it. I'm the fun Gem and I'm stuck as the leader for this!" Lapis complained, only to compose herself. "Sorry if that sounds cold. We are going to find the girls."

"I hope so. It'd be pretty hard to tell mom and dad that Mabel's a statue now." Dipper lightly joked, only to unconvincingly laugh. "Ugh, even I knew that wasn't funny." Dipper said, chastising himself.

"No, we should try to keep our spirits up. This is a really bad situation." Steven said encouragingly, only to form a concerned expression. "We need to find them." Steven said morosely.

"Don't worry. We're going to find them and then we're going to kick the Kuroko's scaly butts into next week!" Lapis said fiercely, only for the egg to glow even brighter than it had before.

"Whoa, what's going on?" Dipper asked, amazed.

"I don't know." Steven answered, equally confused.

Suddenly, the egg flew from Lapis' hands, which forced the group to swim faster as they followed it to wherever it was going. The group was barely able to keep up with the egg, even with their new aquatic bodies. They traversed throughout several hazards within the lake: some natural, some supernatural, and some of Gem origin.

Thankfully, they were trying so hard to keep up with the egg that they inadvertently evaded their attempts to eat or hurt them. It wasn't until it arrived at the wreckage of a long-sunken ship that it mysteriously stopped. While they were glad that it gave them time to catch up, it didn't last long as the egg soon dived straight down into the ship, much to the group's exasperation of having to keep up with the egg.

"Ugh, what is going on here?" Lapis complained as they continued their pursuit.

"Maybe its showing us where the Kuroko are?" Steven hypothesized.

"It better. Is it…possible to work…up a sweat…underwater?" Dipper asked, thoroughly more exhausted than Lapis or Steven.

Soon enough, the egg stopped at the floor of the ship, glowing as bright as the sun, but intermittently. The group had to shield their eyes with every flash, which continued as the glow of the egg steadily increased until it stopped completely at a brightness that illuminated at least half of the lake. Thankfully, it didn't last long as the group steadily opened their eyes and saw the entrance to an underground cave, but the egg had disappeared entirely.

"Is this…?" Dipper and Steven asked hopefully, with Lapis giving a solemn nod as her expression turned into a nearly-forgotten level of seriousness. She silently motioned for the boys to follow her, with them both nodding in reply as they swam into the mouth of the cave.

 **Kuroko Cave 9:43 PM**

As the group traversed through the mouth of the cave, they were surprised when after following the path, they wound up in a large pool of water, with the rest of the cave's path dry. Strange starfish-like creatures illuminated the cave in an eerie green light, one that greatly disturbed the boys. However, the boys quickly put their fears behind them, knowing that they had to save Mabel and Connie.

Lapis gracefully leapt out of the water as her body glowed a light blue, and when it faded upon contact with the cave floor, she was back in her usual form. Dipper and Steven merely swam to the edge of the small pool and walked out, which instantly reverted their aquatic forms back to normal, their clothes completely dry.

"Whoa, that felt weird." Dipper vocalized.

"Tell me about it. But I will say this; that fruit was definitely everything Lapis said it would be." Steven remarked as he and Dipper rejoined Lapis.

"Boys, stay behind me. This isn't going to be easy." Lapis warned as she walked a few steps ahead of the boys, with them following closely.

"So, did you guys see this before?" Steven asked curiously.

"Not exactly. The last time the Gems and I met them, the Kuroko were hiding out somewhere around Scuttlebutt Island's waters. This base is way bigger, so it has more potential." Lapis revealed.

"What kind of potential?" Dipper asked, only for him to step on a false tile, which made Lapis' eyes widen with anxiety.

"Dipper, look out!" Lapis yelled as she pushed him to the ground, mere moments before a rainstorm of sharp knives impaled the floor, exactly where Dipper would've been had Lapis not intervened.

"Okay, that was close!" Dipper said, somewhat fearfully.

"This is the kind of potential I meant. The Kuroko are very territorial and gifted in trap-making." Lapis explained as she picked Dipper up and dusted him off.

"Dipper, Lapis, are guys okay?" Steven asked, concerned.

"We're both fine, Steven." Dipper answered as he then stared at Lapis. "Thanks for saving me."

Lapis merely let out a small snort and said, "No problem, Dipper. Just be more careful, you sweet goof-bag." Lapis said good-naturedly as she tousled his hair.

"Hey, only Mabel gets to call me that!" Dipper replied playfully, only for his expression to fade into a rare, morose frown. "Mabel…"

Lapis then embraced him and Steven before she thoughtfully said, "Don't worry. We're going to find them."

"Thanks, Lapis." Dipper and Steven said simultaneously as they returned her embrace.

Soon enough, the trio ended their moment as Lapis took the reins again, the boys following her. "Now, if we don't trigger any more traps…" Lapis trialed off, only to accidentally set off a tripwire.

Suddenly, the wall to the right of them opened, which revealed a nearly broken tank full of piranhas, which broke after a light tap from the trap's small hammer. However, it wasn't designed for Lapis' powers, so she merely levitated the deadly swarm in their own water and sent it crashing into the back wall. Aside from Steven's brief, concerned expression for the creatures as they asphyxiated, the group continued their journey.

"Okay, they definitely didn't expect me to come along this time." Lapis stated, though she formed an anxious expression, one that confused Dipper and Steven. However, it soon faded as her face turned serious. "Still, that won't stop us from finding the girls. After all, you guys are The Mystery Kids."

"Wait, what?" Dipper asked, confused.

"Oh, that's kind of our nickname for you guys." Lapis clarified as she formed a small blush.

"Um, not sure if you should call us that." Steven said, uncertainly.

"Why not? All we need is a talking animal sidekick and some hippie's van!" Dipper said excitedly.

"Well, we have Lion, but he can't talk. Also, none of us can drive." Steven pointed out.

"Oh, yeah. Aw, well." Dipper said with a resigned smile.

"Let's just be quiet. Who knows what else we have to face?" Lapis said warily, only for Steven to trip and fall onto another fake tile. However, this time it made the entire floor disappear, with Lapis barely having enough time to summon her water wings and grab the boys before they could fall.

"Whew, that was close!" Dipper vocalized.

"Oh, sorry, Lapis." Steven said apologetically, with Lapis sighing in relief.

"It's okay. As long as you two are safe." Lapis said sincerely, only to see a dome of bright yellow light surrounding her and the kids. She looked at where it started and saw that the light came from previously hidden runes around the hole. Before she could even leave, a large bolt of the light hit her in her abdomen, which made the blue Gem cry out in pain.

The same bolts attacked Dipper and Steven, but they managed to shrug them off, with Steven only reacting with an unfamiliar tingling. As such, they were confused as to why the same bolts hurt Lapis so much. However, the boys had no time to further question it as a large bolt hit Lapis square in her head, which made her slip into unconsciousness as she let go of her grip on the boys and her water wings receded.

Dipper and Steven yelled in fear, knowing that they couldn't escape whatever was on the other side of this hole. However, Steven grabbed onto Lapis' unconscious body and positioned himself to take the brunt of the fall, with Dipper grabbing onto Lapis to avoid the same fate.

 **Kuroko Cave (Lower Level) 10:00 PM**

Steven and Dipper yelled as Steven painfully impacted upon the ground, while Lapis and Dipper were fortunately unharmed. Steven groaned as he struggled to get up, only to feel Dipper's hand as he pulled him up, with some difficulty.

"I know that you're strong and durable, but are you okay, Steven?" Dipper asked in concern as Steven brushed some dirt from his clothes.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Is Lapis still…?" Steven asked as he glanced at Lapis' unconscious form and sighed morosely.

"Don't worry. If I've learned anything about Lapis is that she's determined. She'll wake up soon." Dipper said encouragingly.

"Yeah, but why is she even like this?" Steven asked as he formed a thoughtful look. "Whatever those bolts were, they didn't really hurt us."

"Maybe it was some weird magic thing." Dipper suggested.

"I guess. Things in this town are pretty weird." Steven said resignedly, only to hear Lapis groan as she stirred awake.

"Ugh, I think I'm experiencing the Gem equivalent of a hangover." Lapis moaned as she managed to get back on her feet, albeit with knobby knees.

"Lapis!" Dipper and Steven yelled as they eagerly embraced the blue Gem, which almost toppled her.

"Okay, I don't mind the love, but take it easy. My legs feel like jelly, now." Lapis halfheartedly pleaded as Dipper and Steven reluctantly ended their embrace.

"So, how are you feeling, now?" Steven asked, concerned.

"Aside from the head pounding and jelly legs, I'll be fine." Lapis answered as she then looked up where she and the boys fell from. "That trap was meant for me. Whatever that was, it was able to hurt Gems."

"Yeah, have you ever found anything like that before? It didn't really affect me or Steven." Dipper mentioned.

"Well, that's good. Now, we need to figure out where we are." Lapis said, relieved as she analyzed their surroundings.

Suddenly, the group heard a loud, growling sound that resonated throughout the cave. Lapis motioned for the boys to stand behind her as she summoned her water wings. She then started to walk, making sure that Steven and Dipper were behind her, hoping to encounter the source of the sound.

However, the sound had only gotten louder as more time passed, until it was deafening. Dipper and Steven were huddled in fear, with Lapis doing her best to assure them that things were going to be okay. Ironically, Dipper was quickly snatched away, much to Steven and Lapis' fear. The former didn't have time to further react as he was quickly absconded with as well.

Lapis stared at the scene in apprehension, before her mind came to a dreadful conclusion. Suddenly, a large figure dropped down from the ceiling and attempted to attack Lapis, but the blue Gem merely flew out of the way at the last second. She barely had time to react as several more creatures emerged from the shadows, each trying to drag her away to wherever Steven and Dipper were.

The confrontation lasted for a few moments before the creatures seemed to get impatient and started slashing at her with their claws. Despite Lapis' dodging, she wound up with several tears in her dress, even losing her purple sash in the process. By the end of it, her dress was barely holding together and she was running out of breath.

While she thought that the creatures would've run out of stamina by now, nothing was further from the truth. Due to her exhausted state, Lapis could do nothing as she felt one of their claws around her neck, which instantly made her receded her water wings. She then felt a pair of metal handcuffs around her wrist and ankles by two more sets of claws. The one who had her by her neck allowed her to drop onto the floor and then position her head to see something that made her feel unbridled rage, Steven and Dipper in handcuffs and apparently unconscious.

Before she could vocalize her anger, a reptilian foot swiftly stomped her head, which nearly sent her retreating into her Gem. After it removed its foot, Lapis could barely move her head as she saw the imposing figure, a sight that she hoped she'd never see again.

"Welcome back, water witch." A male Kuroko said in a deep, imposing voice as Lapis closed her eyes in defeat.

 **Kuroko Cave (Dungeon) 10:15 PM**

After resting her eyes for a few moments, Lapis' eyes widened in apprehension as she found herself strapped to a rock wall with chains around her wrists and ankles. Steven and Dipper were in identical ones, and had apparently woke up mere moments before Lapis opened her eyes. Aside from a weapon's bench on the other side of the room, it looked no different than the cave they entered from.

"Lapis, what's going on?!" Steven yelled fearfully.

"Seriously, this is not cool!" Dipper added.

"Steven, Dipper, try to stay calm!" Lapis yelled placatingly, only to feel a sharp jab on her still-tender abdomen from one of the three Kuroko in the dungeon.

True to Lapis' description, the Kuroko resembled crocodiles greatly, aside from the gills around their necks. Each member had light green to dark green scales, tails, sharp teeth and claws. The males were very muscular and garbed in loincloths while the sole female was slender and wore a tasteful dress made of the same material. Aside from that, the only noticeable difference between the genders was that the female had a smaller head and noticeable bust. Fittingly, neither gender had hair on their heads, but their eyes glowed dark green and they had runes over their bodies that lightly glowed the same color.

"You've returned at last, water witch." The Kuroko that hurt Lapis stated with thinly-veiled contempt.

"Why shouldn't we shatter her, Kai? She deserves it!" another Kuroko man yelled angrily.

"You know the law, Zeck. Only King Brudo has any say in how the water witch, shall be punished." A female Kuroko said reluctantly.

"Listen to Leona, Zeck. You know how precious females are for us." Kai chastised, only for the wooden doors to burst open, which instantly made the trio bow down before the imposing figure.

Aside from his red cape and dented, golden crown, King Brudo shared no noticeable difference from the men of his race. However, he bared his teeth at the trio and growled before he came face-to-face with Lapis.

"You have what humans call 'guts', water witch. Or in your case, 'stupidity'." King Brudo harshly mocked, only for Lapis to form a cocky grin.

"Well, you need a breath mint, Croc!" Lapis mocked, only for King Brudo to sock her in her abdomen again.

"Silence, impudent jokester!" King Brudo yelled as he harshly slapped her face, which made Steven and Dipper form distressed expressions.

"H-Hey! D-Don't hurt her!" Steven nervously chastised, which made King Brudo shift his focus towards him and Dipper.

"Oh, and these fools were your backup?" King Brudo mocked as he gestured to the duo. "Prepubescent human boys? You'd have been better off coming alone."

"What do you want with me?" Lapis asked defiantly, hoping that it would shift his focus back to her.

"What we've always wanted. Tell us where the Scepter of Servus is." King Brudo stoically demanded as he approached Lapis once more.

"First thing's first, Croc. Where are the girls you captured?" Lapis asked, knowing that she could bargain with him.

With a snap on his claws, two male Kuroko brought out the nearly stone-like Mabel and Connie and set them down in front of the group before departing, which made Steven and Dipper gasp in shock. The girls' skin and clothes were stone-like, but there were still patches of their original skin and some of their clothes, but it was clear that they didn't have much time left.

"Hey, turn them back to normal, Brudo!" Dipper yelled angrily, only for King Brudo to swiftly sock him in his abdomen, which almost made the young boy slip into unconsciousness.

"That's _**King**_ Brudo to you, human. Don't forget that." King Brudo said venomously as he stared at Lapis, who was seething in rage from his treatment of Dipper and Steven.

"I understand why you want me, but Steven and Dipper are innocent. Let them go." Lapis demanded through clenched teeth.

"Oh, I think not Lapis. These humans will make fine examples of what the Kuroko are capable of doing." King Brudo said sadistically as Zeck pulled out a knife inscribed with magical runes from the weapon's rack, which sparkled with blue electricity as he stared at the boys in dark eagerness.

Dipper and Steven gulped in anxiety as Lapis looked on in horror. "King Brudo, please. They don't have anything to do with this." Lapis begged, only for King Brudo to smile malevolently.

"Oh, that's where you're wrong. You dragged them into this because you wouldn't simply incapacitate them when they wanted to save these pathetic girls." King Brudo pointed out as he violently tugged on Lapis' hair. "As far as I'm concerned, it's _**still**_ your fault for this happening."

"Lapis, what's he talking about?" Steven asked in confusion, which made Lapis hang her head in shame.

"I should've known that I had to tell you eventually." Lapis said resignedly as she took a deep breath and said, "The reason the Kuroko even got their claws on the scepter was because I plunged it into the lake in the aftermath of an old fight."

Dipper and Steven gasped in shock, only for King Brudo to snarl in contempt. "Yes, yes you did." King Brudo stated before he forcibly choked Lapis and angrily yelled, "You gave us the scepter! You poisoned our entire race! You've forced us to constantly hear the voice of the scepter inside our heads for generations! And now, we finally take our revenge!" King Brudo finished as he repeatedly slammed Lapis' head into the rock wall.

"Where is the scepter?!" King Brudo demanded as he increased the frequency and violence of his interrogation.

With each impact, Steven's heart sank. While Lapis was too stubborn to tell King Brudo about the scepter's location, seeing his guardian hurt like this made tears well up in his eyes. After a few moments of the gut-wrenching display, Steven yelled ferociously as he pulled the chains from the wall with a strength even he was surprised to have.

"Stop hurting her!" Steven declared as he whipped his chains towards King Brudo, only for Kai to grab them mere inches before he could. Kai then effortlessly lifted the chains and motioned Zeck to give him the knife, which he was more than eager to do.

"Steven, no!" Dipper yelled in fear, only to feel the pain from his fresh injury, which made him slip into unconsciousness.

"Orders, sir?" Kai asked.

"Torture, don't kill…yet." King Brudo commanded as Kai brushed up the mystic steel against Steven's abdomen, which made the young Gem boy cry out in pain as electricity flowed into his body through his gem, much to Lapis' horror.

"Steven! Stop this, now!" Lapis demanded, only for it to fall on deaf ears.

"Not until you tell us where the scepter is, water witch." King Brudo threatened as Kai continued his torture.

Lapis could only watch as she heard Steven's blood-curdling screams and pained expressions, the very sight breaking Lapis' heart. Out of all the Gems, she'd always been the most playful and affectionate towards Steven, with Peridot being a close second towards the latter. She'd grown to love the boy as if he were her own child, and this sight was a good parent's worst nightmare, enough that made Lapis unaware she was even crying.

"Please, stop this!" Lapis bellowed as tears flowed madly from her eyes.

"Tell us where the scepter is!" King Brudo playfully bargained as Kai's torture burned off enough of Steven's shirt to reveal his pink gem, which made the eyes of the Kuroko in the room widen in shock.

"What on Earth?" Kai questioned as he stopped the torture and allowed Steven to drop onto the floor, groaning in pain.

"So, the rumors are true." King Brudo said as he recomposed himself and effortlessly ripped off Steven's chains. He then held the boy by his shirt collar and coldly snorted in derision. "This child is the son of Rose Quartz? A pathetic waste."

Steven barely had the strength to open his eyes as he stared at King Brudo in rare contempt. "Let us all go, King Brudo." Steven said in a pained whisper.

"No, child of Rose Quartz. We need the scepter and its clear as to why the water witch, is so fond of you." King Brudo said as he unceremoniously dropped Steven onto the ground.

"Okay, I'll tell you. Just don't hurt Steven anymore." Lapis pleaded as her gem glowed. She painfully groaned as she forced the scepter out of her gem and stopped when it was finally out. King Brudo grinned chillingly as he took the scepter feeling the magic his ancestors experienced course through his body, which illuminated the runes on his body.

Suddenly, Kai, Zeck, and Leona's bodies started to glow as well, which likely extended to the rest of their race. They all smirked sadistically as King Brudo turned to face Lapis and condescendingly said, "There, was that so hard?"

"Don't be like that. I did what you told me to do, now release us and fix the girls." Lapis demanded, only for King Brudo and his followers to chuckle maliciously.

"You must be joking! Did you really think that we would let you go after you gave us back our scepter?! Congratulate yourself, Lapis; you've doomed the rest of the aquatic species in Gravity Falls!" King Brudo coldly revealed, which made Lapis stare at him in contempt.

"We had a deal!" Lapis angrily yelled.

"Well, it seems as though I've changed my mind!" King Brudo declared as he walked towards the injured Steven and placed his foot on his head. "Now, let's see how much he can take before his head bursts like a grape." King Brudo said sadistically as he playfully crushed Steven's head, each impact making the young boy cry out in pain.

"No, stop this!" Lapis begged as tears flowed from her eyes.

"Face the facts, Lapis. We have everything; power, the scepter, and an army. All you have is an unconscious human, two humans that'll be dead within the next few hours, and the worthless son of Rose Quartz!" King Brudo declared as he continued his assault, with his anger boiling as it continued. "I mean, this is what Rose Quartz died for?! He's a worthless hunk of rock! He'll never live up to his mother! He probably can't even use that gem to save his life! Of course, what could you expect from the son of that fat, caring, whore?!"

Lapis' eyes widened in unbridled rage as she stared at the entire group menacingly. It was bad enough that they put them through so much, but badmouthing Rose while hurting her surrogate son? Lapis' rage level rose beyond even Jasper's as King Brudo suddenly stopped his assault, with his followers paused as well.

"What the?!" King Brudo yelled incredulously.

"What's going on?!" Kai declared in disbelief.

"This doesn't make sense!" Zeck yelled angrily.

"It's like we don't have control anymore!" Leona declared, which made Lapis smirk mirthlessly.

"That's because I just took control of the water in your bodies. You didn't know I could do that, did you?" Lapis said in a tranquil fury that made King Brudo and his followers' eyes widen in apprehension.

"Lapis…calm down. How about we…?" King Brudo fearfully bargained only to feel Lapis force him and his followers to remove her and Dipper's chains. Lapis grabbed the unconscious boy and then gestured towards the nearly-stone Mabel and Connie.

"Fix them, now." Lapis commanded, which they reluctantly did as they placed their glowing hands on their faces, which instantly turned Mabel and Connie back to normal, both gasping for air after it was done.

"Ugh, what happened?" Mabel asked groggily.

"My head's pounding." Connie said as she rubbed her temples.

"Break the scepter." Lapis commanded, ignoring the quizzical stares of Mabel and Connie.

With that, King Brudo smashed the scepter onto the ground, which released a surge of dark green energy that illuminated the entire room. When it faded, King Bruno, his followers, and likely the rest of his race, were stone statues.

"Uh, what just happened?" Mabel and Connie asked simultaneously, both unaware of the events that transpired after being abducted.

"Without the scepter's magic, the Kuroko couldn't survive because of their indoctrination. Now, they're not a threat to anyone, anymore." Lapis answered as she gently cradled the nearly unconscious Steven.

"Wait, what happened to Dipper?!" Mabel asked in concern.

"I don't mean to sound cold, but what about Steven?!" Connie interjected.

"Don't worry. The boys will be fine once they get in the water. Speaking of which…" Lapis trailed off as she pulled out the two Sakana Fruits from her gem and handed an individual one to Mabel and Connie.

"Uh, what are these?" Mabel asked caustically.

"Just eat them." Lapis said as she shoved the fruits down their throats, which made Mabel and Connie gag from the taste.

"Ugh, that's so gross!" Connie yelled in disgust.

"I can't get it off my tongue!" Mabel garbled as she wiped her tongue on her mouth.

"Don't worry. Now, let's get home." Lapis stated as she carried the injured boys, with a still confused Mabel and Connie following her.

"Should we be worried about what's been going on?" Connie asked.

"Maybe, but I still need to use the bathroom." Mabel whined.

 **Ford's House 1** **st** **Floor (Living Room) 9:00 AM**

After escaping the Kuroko cave, the group managed to reunite Connie with her grateful family, much to their relief. Surprisingly, Doug hugged Lapis when she brought Connie home, which the blue Gem was confused by. Thankfully, the power of the Sakana Fruit healed Dipper and Steven's injuries when they contacted water, so aside from Steven's burnt shirt, they went back to their homes unscathed.

However, when Ford saw Mabel and Dipper safe and sound, he merely offered a handshake, which the blue Gem halfheartedly agreed to. As such, the next day, Dipper, Mabel, Steven, and Connie were watching the final part of the _Duck-tective_ episode they'd watched on the night it started. However, due to the craziness of what happened, Connie's parents were enjoying coffee in the kitchen alongside Ford.

" _Well Duck-tective, it seems you've really_ _ **quacked**_ _the case!"_ the constable concluded.

" _Don't patronize me."_ Duck-tective said through subtitled quacks, even though they were clearly annoyed with the pun.

"Well, the duck's done it again!" Dipper said cheerfully.

"I know, right?!" Connie said excitedly.

"Ugh, compared to what happened before, this is kind of boring. I can't believe we missed out on the coolest parts of the adventure because we were kidnapped!" Mabel lamented, still sore from having missed out.

"Hey, to be honest, it wasn't all fun and games for us. We were really worried about you guys." Dipper pointed out as he held out his arms for his twin sister. "Awkward sibling hug?"

Mabel sighed with a sincere smile and opened her own arms before she said, "Awkward sibling hug." With that, the twins embraced, and then patted the other one on the back as they simultaneously said, "Pat, pat."

"Nice, but everything considered, it was really cool of you guys to come for us." Connie admitted as she warmly embraced Steven, which made the young boy blush. "Especially you, Steven."

"Y-Y-Yeah! You know that w-w-we'd do anything for you. Uh, both of you!" Steven nervously replied as Connie lightly kissed him on the cheek, which increased the young boy's blush.

"I know." Connie said sincerely as she ended the embrace, discretely seeing a small, goofy grin on Steven's face.

"Well, uh, remind me to save you more often." Steven nervously said as he changed the channel, with the kids sitting in a much-needed comfortable silence as they watched the new show.

 **AN: Well, this was an enjoyable use of my time. It's been an honor and pleasure, Minjen. I'll be sure to continue to do my best with this.**

 **So, rate, review, and I'll be back with the next chapter as soon as I can, but I will be doing some work on Rick and the Louds before I get started on the next chapter.**

 **Next time—Chapter 4: The Cool Kids**


	4. The Cool Kids

**AN: Well, it's been a while since I last wrote for this story, but I'm pleasantly surprised with the reception.**

 **Now, the adventure continues!**

Momswap Rises

Chapter 4: The Cool Kids

 **Ford's House 1** **st** **Floor (Living Room) 10:25 AM**

It was a relatively normal morning in Gravity Falls, but with one important difference; it was finally snowing. While it should have been snowing at the start of winter break, Ford mentioned that weather in this town wasn't always consistent. As such, Dipper, Mabel, and Steven were enjoying hot chocolate alongside Ford, each of them bundled in individual sweaters, sans Mabel who'd merely zipped up her jacket, as they watched the news.

However, Robbie had surprisingly joined them, but he was adjusting his acoustic guitar as most of them watched TV…except for a certain brown-haired preteen girl, who'd enjoyed watching the teen instead.

"Ah, this is the life. Just me, my great-niece-and-nephew, Steven, and Robbie. For once, we're not dealing with any supernatural or Gem-related problems." Ford said blissfully, unaware that Mabel wasn't paying attention.

"Yeah, I'm kind of glad we're keeping things light for now. As much as I look on the bright side, the last adventure was pretty intense." Dipper said, the memories still fresh in his mind.

"Trust me, I know. Well, at least we saved the girls…sort of." Steven admitted, remembering that Lapis had essentially saved them all, though the blue Gem seemed less cheerful than she usually was after that.

"Yeah, yeah, sure." Mabel said halfheartedly as she continued her love-struck gaze towards Robbie.

"Okay, that should do it." Robbie said as he finished adjusting his guitar and started to play an improvised melody, one that caught the attention of Steven and Mabel, but for different reasons. When it ended, they gave the loudest applause which made Dipper and Ford's own pale in comparison.

"That was totally cool, Robbie!" Steven praised.

"Way to shred it, Rob!" Dipper added.

"Impressive work, Robert." Ford admitted, addressing Robbie by his real name, which he often did when he was his student.

"Thanks, guys, especially you, Prof. Pines!" Robbie replied cheerfully, and then looked at Mabel with a good-natured smile and asked, "What did you think, cutie?"

Upon seeing the object of her affection, Mabel grabbed a nearby pillow and started screaming wildly into it, much to the group's confusion. However, it soon ended as she nonchalantly put it back and cleared her throat.

"I thought it was exceptional." Mabel answered stoically, inwardly ecstatic that Robbie acknowledged her presence and opinion.

"Great to hear, cutie." Robbie said affectionately as he held out his hand for a high-five, which made Mabel blush and lightly stammer, knowing that he wanted her to reciprocate. "Don't leave me hanging, kid." Robbie lightly teased as Mabel formed a small, joyful smile as she high-fived him.

"Oh, yeah! High-fives all around!" Dipper yelled happily, inadvertently ruining the moment as he high-fived Robbie, which made the teen wince in pain.

"That's…that's pretty strong." Robbie said through a strained voice.

"Oh, sorry, Robbie. I high-five pretty hard." Dipper said apologetically, unaware of the venomous scowl of his older twin sister.

However, before anything else could be said, a honking sound came from outside, which made Robbie smirk happily as he took his guitar and headed for the door.

"Wait, where are you going?" Mabel asked, wanting Robbie to stay.

"Oh, it's just some of my friends. We're going to go wild and crazy…!" Robbie said excitedly, only to trail off when he saw Ford's disapproving look, which made him clear his throat and add, "Within reason, of course."

"That's what I thought you said." Ford said authoritatively as he went into the kitchen to refill his mug.

"Awesome! Have fun, Robbie!" Steven innocently encouraged.

"Will do, Steven!" Robbie replied and then looked at Mabel before he affectionately said, "Later, cutie."

"Bye, Robbie." Mabel said, love-struck as Robbie left, unaware of the good-natured smiles of Dipper and Steven.

"Uh-oh. Someone's in love!" Dipper said teasingly as he playfully poked his sister, only stopping after a harsh slap.

"What?! No!" Mabel badly denied as she formed a warm blush. "I-I-I…just think he's cool and sweet…and nice…and…" Mabel trailed off, only returning when she saw Dipper and Steven smirking at her.

"You've got it as bad as when Arila fell in love with Captain Grissom in the first novel." Steven said good-naturedly.

"No, I don't, Steven! And how dare you use my OTP against me?!" Mabel harshly yelled as she crossed her arms in a huff.

"Oh, it's not so bad, Mabel. Who'd any of us be without love?" Dipper said encouragingly.

"Y-Yeah. I-I-It's normal to have crushes like this." Steven added nervously.

"Ugh, do I have to spell it out? I mean, it's not like I lie awake at night, thinking about him!" Mabel badly defended as she let out an awkward laugh.

"Well, back to reality, I think that we should do something today." Dipper suggested.

"What'd you have in mind?" Mabel asked, eager to change the subject.

"I have no idea!" Dipper said happily as he shot an innocent smile at Mabel and Steven, much to the former's chagrin.

"Well, w-w-we could go to the Big Donut. I know it's not really exciting, but we can't go off on an empty stomach." Steven nervously offered.

"Oh, yeah. I don't think we've been there before since winter break started." Dipper admitted, remembering the shop from his and Mabel's first day in Gravity Falls.

"Well, it's better than nothing and I think it'll be nice to get out of here for a while." Mabel said in agreement.

"And it'll get your mind off Robbie's brown eyes." Dipper said teasingly.

"Hah, little brother! His eyes are blue!" Mabel pointed out, only to blush madly when she saw Dipper's expression, which made her mumble angrily as the trio departed the house.

Meanwhile, Ford had arrived from the kitchen, only to notice that the kids had left, which made the old man shrug with indifference. "Eh, they'll be fine." Ford said apathetically.

 **Big Donut 10:45 AM**

Soon enough, the trio arrived at the titular shop, with them noticing the two workers behind the counter, each clad in a purple shirt with a brown donut symbol.

The teenage boy was thin and had tanned skin, brown eyes, and shoulder-length, curly orange-brown hair. He also wore a pair of black jeans and red tennis shoes. He dwarfed over his female co-worker, which wasn't hard to do since she was only slightly taller than the kids.

The teenage girl was slightly heavyset and had pale, almost yellow skin, curly blonde hair stylized into a mohawk, and stretched earlobes. She also wore a pair of black jeans with a small tear on her left knee, and green shoes.

"Hi, Lars! Hi, Sadie!" Steven said with a rare smile, one he only formed due to his repeated visits to the donut shop.

"Hey, Steven! Come back for more donuts, little buddy?" Lars asked with a warm smile.

"Yeah, yeah. Welcome back, but who are those two kids?" Sadie asked apathetically.

"Oh, this is Dipper and Mabel. They're my…new friends." Steven admitted with a nervous chuckle at the end.

"Well, about time. As much as I love hanging with you, it's nice that you're branching out." Lars said encouragingly.

"Great, two more ankle-biters." Sadie said sarcastically and then asked, "They just move here, or something?"

"Actually, they're Prof. Pines' great-niece and nephew." Steven revealed.

"Hi, nice to meet you!" Dipper said excitedly as he held out his hand for Sadie to shake it.

"So, which one are you?" Sadie asked cruelly, which made Dipper's smile falter.

"Don't be such a jerk, Sadie. They're new in town." Lars pointed out.

"Whatever. If you keep your distance, we'll be best friends." Sadie remarked, which made Dipper gasp in excitement.

"Awesome! I just broke the record for me making a new best friend!" Dipper said innocently.

"It's true. His last one took him five minutes." Mabel remarked as she gently raised her hand to give a proper introduction. "I'm Mabel and this is my sweet goof-bag of a brother, Dipper."

"Dipper, like the constellation?" Sadie asked halfheartedly as she let out a small, cruel chuckle.

"Well, my real name is…" Dipper trailed off, only for a large group of teens to arrive before he could answer. While the group was unknown to the twins, they and Steven instantly recognized the one amongst them.

"Robbie!" the trio exclaimed in surprise as the teen made his way towards the kids, his group of friends not too far behind.

"Hey, guys! Long time, no see, huh?" Robbie lightly joked.

Before any of the kids could answer, Sadie spoke up, her apathetic demeanor turning to nervousness. "Oh, hey, Robbie! What's uh…what's going on?" Sadie asked as nonchalantly as she could.

The teens stared at the cashier in confusion until one of them, a muscular teen with blonde, curly fry-like hair, vocalized the group's concern, "Uh, do we know you, Donut Girl?"

"Hah! Good one, Ronaldo!" Sadie said as she let out an uncomfortable laugh, which thankfully didn't last long. Soon enough, the moment passed as one of the few females of the group, asked Robbie a question.

The girl was fifteen-years-old with long, unkempt red hair, freckles, and fair skin. She wore a dark green beanie, a white undershirt, and a matching jacket with white faux-fur lining. She also wore a pair of jean shorts, brown boots with a white faux-fir lining, and a white necklace. This was Wendy Corduroy.

"So, what? You babysit these guys, Robbie?" Wendy asked condescendingly.

"Wendy, be cool." Robbie scoffed before he properly introduced the trio. "Mabel and Dipper are Prof. Pines' great-niece and nephew. Steven is a pretty nice kid that I've gotten to know over the years."

"Y-Yeah! It's uh…nice to meet you." Steven said nervously as he lightly raised his hand.

"Hey, check out what I can do!" Dipper exclaimed as he effortlessly did a handstand, which made the teens, excluding Wendy, gasp in amazement. It only increased when he started to walk on his hands and then flipped back to his original position, which elicited some claps from the group.

"Awesome moves, Dipper!" Robbie praised.

"Great, we've got a circus freak in town." Wendy said apathetically as she rolled her eyes.

"Sorry about that. My brother's not the best at making first impression." Mabel said, wanting to look cool in front of Robbie. She then pointed to herself and exclaimed, "Unlike this girl!" As expected, it didn't get any reaction from the teens, which made her repeat it with less confidence. "…this girl…"

"Anyway, these are my teen friends." Robbie interjected, wanting to save Mabel from more embarrassment. "We have Ronaldo Fryman…"

Ronaldo was a well-built sixteen-year-old boy with fair skin, green eyes, and a set of glasses over his face. He wore a dark blue polo shirt, black jeans, and white tennis shoes.

"Nice to meet you guys." Ronaldo said with a smile.

"Tambry…"

Tambry was a slender fifteen-year-old girl with dark skin, brown eyes, and dyed dark purple hair that was tied into pigtails. She wore a light purple shirt, a knee-length pink skirt, and black Mary Janes.

"Oh, they're so adorable!" Tambry gushed.

"Jenny…"

Jenny was a somewhat curvy sixteen-year-old girl with dark skin, brown eyes, and short black hair in a puffy bob. She wore a pale blue shirt that exposed her midriff, magenta jeans, and blue shoes.

"How's it going?" Jenny asked nonchalantly.

"Sour Cream, which is his real name…"

Sour Cream was a slender sixteen-year-old boy and the tallest one of the group with fair skin, icy blue eyes that could still be seen through his goggles, and short blonde hair. He wore a dark red hoodie with a white undershirt, black jeans, and green shoes.

"Yo." Sour Cream greeted in a monotonous voice.

"Buck Dewey…"

Buck was a slender sixteen-year-old boy with tanned skin, short brown hair, and dark brown eyes. He wore an oversized dark purple jacket that was opened to reveal his white undershirt, blue jeans, and white high-tops.

"What's up, kids?" Buck asked with a cool grin.

"And you should know Wendy." Robbie finished. "You can probably figure her out."

"Yeah, I'm the bad mamacita that spray-painted the water tower." Wendy said passively as she leaned against a nearby wall.

"Oh, you mean that giant muffin?" Mabel asked, having noticed the graffiti before.

"Uh, no. It's a giant explosion." Wendy scoffed.

With that, everyone took a glance out of the shop window and towards the water tower, which was within distance of the shop. Even though it was covered by snow, the group clearly saw the graffiti. "Huh, it does look like a muffin." Sour Cream agreed with a rare laugh.

With her handiwork undermined in such a way, Wendy shot a venomous scowl at Mabel, who quickly looked away. Regardless, the teens managed to engage in several rounds of conversation as they spread out to get what they came here for, which left Lars busy as Sadie declined in helping him work the register. However, her attempts to be passively cool around the teens were undermined when Dipper approached the counter, also trying to seem aloof.

"So, I know we just met, but do you know these guys, Sadie?" Dipper asked curiously.

With the rest of the teens distracted, Sadie ended her façade briefly. "N-Not quite, but I've seen them around." Sadie admitted, albeit reluctantly. "I'm sure that we'll hang out at some point."

"Well, why aren't you hanging out with them now?" Dipper pointed out.

"That's not how these things work, Dipper, or whatever your real name is!" Sadie said, flustered. "The point is to keep my cool and wait for them to come to me."

"Well, it looks like they came to you anyway." Dipper pointed out, oblivious to Sadie's anxiety. "You know, if you want, I could ask them if you could hang out with them."

"W-What?!" Sadie stammered, her face glowing bright red. "Why would I need some little kid to make friends for me?! Besides, in case you haven't noticed, I'm at work."

"Sadie, your shift just ended." Lars said with passive-aggressiveness as he formed a coy smile. "You're free to go."

"Thanks a lot, Lars." Sadie said sarcastically, only to realize that Dipper was executing his plan. "Dipper, no!' she shouted in an aggravated whisper. "You're going to wreck everything! I hate you!"

Given their distance, Sadie's pleas were unheard as Dipper approached Jenny, Sour Cream, and Buck, having splintered off from the rest of the teens, and addressed them outgoingly. Meanwhile, Robbie, Steven and Mabel were watching in amusement as Ronaldo showed off his impressive strength by lifting Wendy and Tambry like barbells, which the girls had no qualms about given that they were smiling the entire time.

"Okay as cool as this is, we've got to get going." Robbie said, which garnered the current group's attention. "Let's get what we need; we've got an awesome night planned."

The rest of the group complied as they stocked up on snacks and supplies for the night, save for the trio still conversing with Dipper.

"So, uh…where are you guys going?" Mabel asked tensely, failing to sound casually curious.

"We're planning on checking out this old, shut-in joint across town." Robbie explained. "It's going to be wild."

"Well, a-a-as long as there's no dancing." Steven said nervously, unaware that Mabel low-keyed cringed from the last word.

"You know, there might be. When you get to be our age, you just learn to go with the flow." Robbie admitted.

"Yeah! I totally get what that means!" Mabel said frantically, still fazed by Steven's inadvertent comment, which made Robbie form a curious grin.

"Uh, wait. Mabel, do you know how to dance?" Robbie asked, knowing that her behavior had changed when Steven mentioned it.

"Uh, no idea! Totally clueless! I have two left feet!" Mabel said through a rapid fire of blatant lies.

"What? Mabel, Dipper told me that you used to dance when you were four!" Steven innocently revealed, much to Mabel's embarrassment as she knew what that meant.

"Well, yeah, but it's not a big deal anymore!" Mabel defended, hoping that would change the subject.

"Dipper made it seem like it. He told me that your mom used to put you in a kitten costume and do the Kitty Dance." Steven said, oblivious to Mabel's annoyance.

"Now is not the time to talk about the Kitty Dance!" Mabel said in angered embarrassment.

"Wait, a kitten costume?" Robbie laughed good-naturedly. "Did she have a little tail and ears?"

"Well, uh…" Mabel stammered, wishing that Steven hadn't mentioned that embarrassing childhood moment for her.

"Yeah, Dipper gave copies to Connie and me during our first sleepover!" Steven innocently revealed as he took out the picture from his pocket and showed it to Robbie, unaware of Mabel's eyes widening in apprehension. True to the name, the picture depicted a four-year-old Mabel in an adorable orange cat costume. "Based on what Dipper told me, it was the cutest thing ever!"

"Okay, I think we're done strolling down memory lane!" Mabel interrupted as she discretely took Steven's copy and threw it into a nearby trashcan, laughing uncomfortably the entire time.

"Well…it looks like it's time for us to leave." Robbie awkwardly noted, only to glance towards Dipper and the three teens, who were laughing uproariously. "Although, it looks like Dipper's hitting it off with Buck, Jenny, and Sour Cream."

"Wait, uh…" Mabel said nervously. "Why don't I—or why don't we, and by we, I mean Dipper, Steven and me, go with you?"

"Hmm, you definitely have courage, Mabel, but this isn't kids' stuff." Robbie mused cautiously. "We seem cool now, but my friends can get intense. How old are you and Dipper again?"

Before Steven could reveal the truth, Mabel cut in with a small, white lie that would hopefully work in their favor. "We're thirteen! So, technically a teen."

"Good enough for me." Robbie said with a sly grin as he took out a pen from his right pocket and scribbled something down on Mabel's left arm, unaware of the young girl's love-struck gaze. "Meet us at this address tonight. It's going to epic!"

With that, Robbie and his friends paid for their supplies and left, except for Buck, Jenny, and Sour Cream, who'd promised to catch up with the gang later after they finished talking to Dipper. Meanwhile, Steven had been confused by Mabel's lie, knowing the twins' real age.

"Okay, what's the deal here, Mabel?" Steven asked, with Mabel only halfheartedly listening to him. "You and I both know that you and Dipper aren't thirteen yet."

"Yeah, sure, Robbie…" Mabel said blissfully, unaware of what Steven really said.

Meanwhile, Sadie was watching intently on Dipper, Buck, Jenny, and Sour Cream, ignoring Lars' comments about being a chicken for not talking to them. It was only when the young boy rushed back to the counter that the three teens glanced her way.

"Hey, Sadie!" Dipper exclaimed excitedly.

"What's up?" Sadie said nonchalantly, her eyes towards the trio when she did.

"Guess what?! They invited you, me, Steven, and Mabel to join them tonight at this address!" Dipper said jubilantly as he rolled up his right arm sleeve to reveal the address Jenny wrote on his arm.

"Huh?!" Sadie said incredulously. "Wait, that doesn't…ugh! Dipper, you got lucky! Just try not to ruin this with any of your stupid kid stuff!"

Dipper was happy to comply with this as he effortlessly did a handstand before flipping back to his feet. "You got it, buddy!" Dipper said with a laugh as he rejoined his sister and Steven.

"Hey, Mabel, are you listening to me?" Steven asked, with Mabel still unintentionally ignoring him.

"Ah…he touched my arm." Mabel said dreamily.

"I think she's in her own little world, Steven." Dipper said good-naturedly as he took his oblivious sister's hand and dragged her out the door. He then briefly went back inside and motioned for Steven to join them. "Come on, we've got to get ready for tonight!"

"Okay!" Steven replied as he followed the twins, eager that he would be taking the first steps to make some new friends tonight.

 **Welles Academy (Exterior) 8:23 PM**

The kids and Sadie had arrived at the address, with the kids having Ford drive them and Sadie driving herself there. Steven would've invited Connie, but he knew that her parents wouldn't agree for her to do anything late at night, especially after what happened the last time. Thankfully, she hadn't been cut out completely thanks to Lapis saving her and Mabel. Still, Steven wished that he could hold her hand for a situation that would be rife with anxiety for the young half-Gem.

Granted, the only reason he managed to bring himself to come at all was because he already knew and befriended Dipper, Mabel, and Robbie. Although, the young boy wasn't alone in the anxiety as despite her previous actions, Sadie looked as nervous as he did. Dipper merely looked excited with Mabel looking neutral until she saw Robbie and his friends hanging outside a white van, which made the young girl smile and blush immensely.

However, they soon changed their perspectives when they noticed exactly where they were. On the other side of tall, metal fence, there was a severely dilapidated, but immensely large one-story school. The sign in front had some missing letters, but the indents allowed them to read it as "Welles Academy". It rested in the shadows of a tall hill that shielded it from the rising moon, but in the shadows of the academy itself, was a semi-frozen pool filled with thick, lush moss that gave it a swampy appearance.

It was then that Steven's situational anxiety was replaced with genuine fear, knowing exactly what this place was, but more specifically, the yellow police tape that had been strung up there recently.

 _ **Welles Academy (Exterior) 3:14 PM (2 Days Ago)**_

" _Oh, this is not good…" Peridot mumbled to herself as she summoned a holographic screen using her artificial fingers, apparently analyzing the moss._

" _Yeah, total bummer." Lapis said apathetically._

" _Lapis, this isn't the time to be sarcastic. This is a real problem." Jasper lightly chastised._

 _Peridot had shook her head as she, Steven, Lapis, and Jasper stood halfway up the hill, gazing at the moss and the building resting beside it. Steven had clung to Jasper's leg in apprehension, which the orange Gem allowed him to do. While it was rare for Steven to be involved in even the safest missions, he wanted to get out of his comfort zone, something that he realized thanks to Dipper, Mabel, and especially Connie._

" _W-W-What's the deal with this moss, anyway?" Steven asked nervously._

" _It's nothing to fear, little cub. This moss was planted by…" Jasper reassured, only for her to practically choke out the last word. "…Rose."_

" _Wait, my mom planted this?" Steven asked, always eager to hear anything about his mom._

" _Yes, she did. Rose Quartz used to climb that hill every winter and tend to the moss at the top in the light of the moon." Peridot revealed as she projected a vague image of Rose in her holographic screen, ascending the hill. "But now that she's…gone, the moss is on the move. My calculations are never wrong; there's no alternative explanation."_

" _It's like it's lost." Steven said with empathy, feeling that his mother wouldn't want her moss to act like this._

" _It's not lost. It's just gross." Lapis said bluntly._

" _Yes, but that's beside the point. You know that Rose saw the beauty in everything. Fortunately, I have what we need right here." Peridot said as her Gem glowed and she moved her left fingers towards it. When the light faded, she had a roll of police tape in her fingers._

" _Ah, memories." Jasper said with fondness._

" _It's Ockham's Razor, Steven! With this simple solution, we won't need to use any complicated magic to barricade this." Peridot gushed, only for Lapis to snort in derision._

" _Funny, you like doing it the hard way." Lapis lightly joked._

" _Correction: I love doing it the hard way!" Peridot retorted, which only made Lapis' grin grow._

" _Okay, which means I'll be on top this time!" Lapis raunchily joked, which made Peridot blush immensely, having herself to blame for walking into Lapis' joke._

" _I hate it when you do that!" Peridot yelled as she commanded her fingers to barricade the swamp and tie it around the door of the academy to prevent any human interference._

" _Well, that should do the trick. So, any ideas on how to get rid of the moss?" Jasper asked, which made Peridot form a sheepish grin as her fingers returned to her._

" _Hmm, this is…going to take some time." Peridot admitted, only to add, "And it needs to be done soon. We've got about two days before it becomes a big problem."_

" _Oh, come on, Peri. What's the worst thing that could happen?" Lapis said dismissively, fully sounding like her old self._

" _I'm not sure, but we can't leave it unchecked." Peridot replied as she re-summoned her holographic screen, this time with several blueprints of different plans. "I may need to ask Ford for some help."_

" _Regardless, we can't do anything about it right now, so we should leave." Jasper commanded as the group did just that._

" _Why do we need the tape anyway? There's a huge fence that they'd have to get around." Steven pointed out, which made Jasper sigh deeply._

" _Listen little cub, humans have their superstitious stuff, but there is genuinely something there that even we can't handle." Jasper said as she knelt to his eyelevel, which made Steven gulp in apprehension._

 _It was true; ever since they arrived, Steven felt a deep, foreboding presence that emanated from the building. Whatever happened there, it was making his gem feel far different than it ever had before. As they passed the condemned school, Steven staggered from its proximity, which forced him to run for it as he passed the Gems, all three confused by Steven's specific reaction from the presence they all felt._

 **Welles Academy (Exterior) 8:25 PM**

Steven paled from the recent memory, especially when he felt the mysterious presence from the building through his gem. Every instinct told him to run for it, but he couldn't risk abandoning his friends and the teens to whatever was inside or the moss that surrounded it. Still, he hoped that this would be a temporary stop. As such, he remained quiet as the group approached the fence, but he trailed behind them in apprehension, thinking that the tape would be enough to deter them.

"This is the place, guys." Robbie said as the group pressed up against the fence. "The condemned Welles Academy."

"Awesome!" Ronaldo praised.

"I'm getting some sweet vibes from this place." Jenny said with an anxious smile.

"So, uh…why'd this place close down anyway?" Mabel asked with uncertainty as she looked at the dilapidated state of the school. "Was there a scandal or health violation or…"

"Try murder-suicide!" Buck proclaimed dramatically as he handed a flashlight to Wendy, who turned it on and held it to her face to explain.

"Legend says that a boy named Ellis Darrow attended this school and was relentlessly bullied for liking puppets. He performed some dark ritual and got revenge on the bullies, but he took his own life in the process. No one knows what happened to his body and its said that his spirit still roams the halls, looking for victims." Wendy darkly explained, which made Sadie, Steven and Mabel's eyes widen in apprehension.

"This town has such a colorful history!" Dipper stated cheerfully.

"Uh, are you guys serious?" Mabel asked nervously, hoping that they were kidding.

"Yeah! We're all going to die tonight!" Robbie teased as he tousled Mabel's hair. "Chill out, girl. It's not as bad as it looks."

"No, you're wrong. Something did happen at this place. Something really bad." Steven warned as he broke out in a fearful sweat. "Mabel's right. We shouldn't be here. L-Let's just go Funland Arcade or something."

"Steven, you trying to scare us?" Buck asked, not directly making fun of him.

"Building an atmosphere. Nice." Sour Cream said with a complacent nod.

"Steven, stop being such a scaredy-cat all the time." Sadie whispered crossly as she pushed her way past the others. "Let's go check it out."

Steven nervously shook as the teens scaled the fence, one by one, as he glanced more at the condemned academy rather than the moss. He wanted to tell everyone about what he was feeling from that building, but he hadn't developed a strong enough relationship with most of the teens that they'd believe him.

Soon enough, most of the teens had managed to scale the fence and landed on the other side. Even though his body begged him not to, Steven finished climbing the fence and joined the others, with Mabel going next as she awkwardly attempted to straddle the fence so she could properly climb it.

"Come on, Mabel!" Robbie encouraged from the other side.

"O-Okay!" Mabel said shakily, intimidated by how far she was from the ground. "Just need to get some kind of foothold and…"

"Come on! Your brother did it and he's younger than you!" Wendy criticized impatiently as she gestured towards the young boy running around in circles, having gone before Steven.

To speed up the process, Tambry, who was on the other side of the fence, cleared the top for it alongside Mabel. "Hey, Robbie! Catch the princess!" Tambry cried out as she effortlessly picked up the young girl and threw her from the fence, with Robbie narrowly catching her in his arms.

"Tambry, be more careful! That was really dangerous!" Robbie lightly chastised as the teenager effortlessly landed on her feet, unaware of Mabel's blissful smile and blush.

"Oh, come on! She's too cute for you to fail catching her!" Tambry good-naturedly defended as she rejoined the group.

"Why can you never take anything seriously?" Robbie grumbled to himself as he set Mabel down, much to the young girl's disappointment. However, it didn't last long as her apprehension returned.

Steven cautiously lagged as the group approached the academy, the sensation in his gem worsening as his proximity grew. Fortunately, none of them had even noticed the moss, which was of some relief to the boy, especially when he saw how still it was. He wasn't sure if it was because of the temperature decrease, but at least the tape would prevent them from going any further.

"Hmm, police tape." Jenny said with a sided frown. The entire group exchanged a brief glance before Jenny abruptly ripped off the cautionary tape over the large door. "Awesome," she grinned, not even regarding the discarded tape on the ground.

Steven let out an anxious gasp at seeing this, especially as Buck, Ronaldo, Wendy, and Sour Cream joined in on ripping off the tape from the rest of the academy's door. "I'm above the law." Sour Cream boldly remarked, which garnered a laugh from the rest of the group.

"Ugh, what's going on?" Steven asked himself, the mysterious sensation worsening in his gem. Thankfully, Mabel started to notice Steven's true apprehension, now realizing that whatever he was feeling, was more intense than her own.

"Steven, what's wrong?" Mabel asked in concern as the rest of the group peeked through the windows.

"It's that building, Mabel. There's something about it that makes it hard for me to be near it." Steven explained, though he'd become slightly pale, most likely due to the enhanced exposure. "Not only that, but there's some moss my mom planted years ago. Now that she's gone, it's gotten out of control. That's why the tape was there; the Gems and I put that there to stop anyone from coming around."

"Well, I'm not sure about the building, but the moss is outside, right?" Mabel reasoned, hoping to ease Steven's dread as much as her own. "As long as we're inside…"

"No, you don't understand!" Steven said in a loud whisper as he gripped Mabel's hand. "There's something evil in there! Everyone's going to die if they enter! They…they need to know!"

"Steven, wait!" Mabel exclaimed in sudden panic, stopping the young half-Gem from telling the teens. "There's no sense in warning them about something like this. I mean, the moss is outside and you've probably got a stomachache or something!"

Steven barely bought this, knowing the real reason why she didn't want to leave tonight. Still, he glanced towards the group of teens and sighed in resignation. They'd been kind enough to invite them and Sadie in the first place, but he still felt an intimidating presence from the academy, one he knew wasn't a mere stomachache. Steven sighed once more and turned towards Mabel to say, "Fine, but we bail if the moss or whatever I'm sensing takes a turn for the worse. Deal?"

"Deal," Mabel agreed, hoping that the measure wouldn't be needed.

The two kids rejoined the group as they realized that the door was still locked. "Oh, what?! It's totally stuck!" Wendy cried out as she did her best to open the wooden door.

With a smug smirk, Ronaldo flexed his muscles and punched the door with all his might, only for the door to remain unscathed and Ronaldo to cry out in pain. "Okay, that should've gone through the door like paper!" Ronaldo remarked as he rubbed his sore hand.

"Let me take a crack at it." Mabel said confidently, putting her conversation with Steven behind her.

"Oh, yeah. The strongest one of us couldn't even break this old, wooden door, but the adorable princess can break it down like an Amazon?" Wendy said sarcastically.

"Come on. Leave her alone, Wendy." Robbie admonished with a sympathetic frown. "She's just a little kid."

Mabel did her best to not appear embarrassed from that comment. The last thing she wanted Robbie to see her as was a kid, even though that was what she was. As she looked around the area, she found a small, child-sized hole on the left side of the building. She quickly glanced inside and saw that it was the only alternate entrance not blocked by debris. Everyone took notice as she slithered on her belly, intent on squeezing through the hole.

"Whoa, what's she doing?" Ronaldo asked in surprise.

"Show this building what you got, kid!" Buck encouraged, impressed with Mabel's tenacity.

"Hey, Mabel! Take it easy!" Robbie yelled in concern as she fully entered the academy.

"Who wants to bet that she cries and/or pees her pants?" Wendy coldly asked, anticipating that the young girl would succumb to fear. However, neither she nor the teens anticipated that the door would swing open a few moments later. Mabel grinned confidently as she held the door open, gesturing for the others to come inside.

"Oh, yeah baby! That's my sister!" Dipper praised as he warmly embraced Mabel before he entered the academy.

"Good call inviting the cute maniac!" Tambry praised.

"Your new nickname is Dr. Marvelous!" Ronaldo proclaimed as he walked past Mabel, who accepted the new moniker.

"That was radical, kid." Sour Cream agreed with a casual nod.

"Mabel, if I _**ever**_ see you do something that crazy again…" Robbie said in chastising tone, which made Mabel's heart sink. However, he instead grinned and proclaimed, "…we just might have a new member!"

Steven was the last to enter before Mabel, but he still had an apprehensive look on his face. "Remember what we talked about," Steven cautioned as he started to shake from whatever he was feeling. "If anything goes wrong, we tell everyone and bail."

"I know, but relax, Steven. Everything's going to be okay." Mabel reassured.

"I…really don't think that's possible." Steven said hesitantly as he went inside.

"Just trust me, okay?" Mabel said confidently as she entered the academy and closed the door, unaware that it then turned into a part of the wall.

 **Welles Academy (Foyer) 8:32 PM**

When the group was inside, the entire room was pitch black. Thankfully, Robbie managed to find the light switch, which miraculously worked as it instantly illuminated the room. However, everything in the foyer, except the floor and a broken white marble statue, was coated with dust and cobwebs, and with the windows blocked by debris from the roof's scaffolding. The statue was in the middle of the room, shattered beyond recognition. Aside from where they entered, the walls of the school were coated with doors, each likely the entrance to a classroom, except for the dilapidated signs for the bathrooms.

"Whoa, imagine this school in its heyday." Sour Cream said after he let out an approving whistle.

"Do you think that Ellis Darrow's ghost really roams the halls?" Tambry asked in amazement.

"If it did, my little brother would've infiltrated the school already for his weird blog, _Keep Gravity Falls Weird_." Ronaldo said dismissively. "I love the little guy, but he needs to grow up."

"I won't deny it; this place is creepier than I imagined." Robbie grinned as the group went to explore the rest of the academy.

As everyone spread throughout the school, Dipper took notice of a severely dusty wall and wiped off some of the dust with his finger. He then oddly gave it an experimental lick before he redundantly stated, "Yeah, that's dust."

Steven stuck close behind Sadie, Wendy, and Tambry as they walked alongside the abandoned classrooms. While he would've been tempted to stay in the middle of the room, the sensation in his gem increased as he neared the statue. The most he could hope for was that the academy could alleviate his anxiety, but with this mysterious sensation, that might not have been possible.

"Hey, where do you think they keep the skeletons or whatever?" Wendy asked Tambry jokingly.

"Don't be so dark, Wendy!" Tambry retorted good-naturedly.

"So, uh, this place is pretty cool for an abandoned school, huh, Wendy?" Sadie said nervously, which made Wendy form an even expression.

"I guess, Donut Girl. We're too cool for school, even if it's one no one's attended for years." Wendy remarked apathetically.

"Oh, yeah, totally!" Sadie agreed heartily.

"She's kidding, Donut Girl. Nobody's too cool for school." Tambry pointed out as she scoffed.

"Uh, yeah! School's the best!" Sadie replied nervously. However, before she could say anything else, Steven accidentally nudged her, too engrossed by his mysterious pain to immediately notice. "Steven, watch where you're going!" Sadie remarked angrily, which made Steven take a cautious step backwards.

"Oh, s-s-sorry Sadie." Steven said nervously as he leaned against a nearby door to calm himself, only for the door to break after a few moments.

"Steven, are you still alive?" Dipper asked, concerned for his friend.

"Yes, I'm still alive! Also, I fell into someone's desk and found these." Steven replied as he held out one of the numerous packages of ancient candy that was unfamiliar to the boy, but one that Dipper immediately recognized.

"No freaking way! This is Frowny Dip!" Dipper yelled in excitement as he took the candy from Steven's hands. "It's the long-lost precursor to the now-banned Smile Dip!"

"Yeah, I…have no idea what any of those are." Steven said bluntly, being able to overcome his mysterious sensation. "The desk I crashed into was filled with those things. Whoever last used it had a major sweet tooth, I guess."

"Doesn't matter! This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance!" Dipper said eagerly as he ripped open the package, which revealed a wooden stick that he dipped into the sugary powder, only to disregard it and poured the sugar into his mouth all at once.

"Dipper, you should probably take it easy with that stuff." Mabel cautioned as she approached the boys.

"Too late, sis! I'm going for a personal sugar high record!" Dipper declared as he charged into the room and started to rapidly consume the ancient sugar, much to Steven and Mabel's amusement.

"This is going to end badly, isn't it?" Steven bluntly asked.

"Yep. Here's hoping he won't get his stomach pumped again." Mabel replied.

 **Welles Academy (Classroom) 9:34 PM**

The gang had been hanging out in the classroom where Steven found the Frowny Dip that Dipper was on the verge of finishing for a little over an hour. The teens found ways to amuse themselves with whatever they could find. Mabel and Robbie had taken a break from the excitement as they relaxed on the teacher's desk, each enjoying one of Robbie's smuggled chocolate bars as they watched everyone else having fun.

"Mabel, this night is one of the best nights in the history of our group." Robbie said in encouragement.

"R-Really? T-T-That's awesome!" Mabel said nervously as she hastily finished her chocolate bar.

"Yeah, just look around!" Robbie said cheerfully. "The girls are bonding…" he said, referring to Wendy and Tambry, who'd been enjoying using chalk on the classroom's chalkboard, even though they drew different things; Tambry drew impressive and detailed sketches while Wendy merely drew simple skulls. "Jenny's raving like there's no tomorrow…" Indeed, Jenny was raving to the song from Buck's phone as Sour Cream, Sadie, and Steven cheered him on, though the latter had done so halfheartedly. "Ronaldo's pumping his guns…" Of course, the teen could only do so by effortlessly lifting some of the desks. "And your brother's grooving on that Frowny Dip."

Dipper let out a nauseous groan as he held his stomach, his mouth coated with the ancient, sugary substance. He had consumed several packets of the candy, having lost track around the twentieth. "Ugh, I think I went a little overboard." Dipper admitted, doing his best to ignore the rumbling in his stomach. "What do you think?" He asked a giant fox that only existed in his sugar-induced hallucinations. Mabel and Robbie looked in concern for a few moments as Dipper continued to talk to his bizarre fantasies, before Robbie continued.

"You know Mabel, I wasn't sure if you'd be able to hang with us, but you're surprisingly mature for your age." Robbie admitted.

"Yeah, that's me! Ms. Mature!" Mabel declared, too distracted from Robbie's compliment to notice that she accidentally bit into her empty chocolate bar wrapper.

"Hey, we need more chalk!" Wendy called as she and Tambry held out nubs of the classroom's chalk, the chalkboard divided with their differing artwork.

"I'm on it!" Mabel volunteered as she leapt off the desk and headed into an adjacent classroom for more chalk. She couldn't help but grin in satisfaction as she entered, knowing that the night was going swimmingly. She knew that the odds were against her because of the age difference, but if she could keep this up, maybe Robbie would see her as more than just a friend.

Mabel was so engrossed by that train of thought that she didn't notice something was amiss as she grabbed a handful of chalk until she glanced up and saw a lifeless, bloodstained puppet staring right at her from the teacher's desk. The sight made the preteen girl shriek quietly as she ran out of the room and went back to where the rest of the group was.

Mabel was breathing heavily, confused and disturbed by that puppet. She opened the door to see the classroom again, but the puppet had vanished. Mabel closed the door and clutched her chest as she softly said to herself, "What was that?"

"Hey, are you okay?" Robbie asked in concern as he, Steven, Wendy, and Tambry approached the young girl.

"Aw, the wittle baby got scared!" Wendy said mockingly.

"No, I didn't!" Mabel defended, hiding her former distress well. "I'm fine. Everything's fine."

"Then, why were you clutching your chest just now?" Tambry asked, half-suspicious, half-concerned.

The group, minus Steven, collectively murmured their curious confusion while Mabel glanced around nervously, trying to come up with some excuse that would save face with the teens. Since Mabel had her head turned away, the rest of the teens, and Dipper were too preoccupied with their own things, and the rest had their eyes on her, none of them noticed when a small pile of puppets materialized on top of the teacher's desk. Mabel happened to spot them mere moments after they arrived and hoped that it would be enough to distract them.

"Oh, look! There's a bunch of puppets here!" Mabel exclaimed as she pointed to the pile. "How about we play with them?"

Fortunately, the group, except for Steven, took the bait and gasped in amazement when they saw the puppets. Strangely, all the puppets were in exact likeness of the group, which the teens instantly noticed.

"Whoa! So, this is what I'd look like as a puppet!" Tambry exclaimed in excitement.

"It's a little creepy, but in a good way. These puppets have every detail right." Wendy said in awe.

"Yeah, it's weird. Guys, check this out!" Robbie called, which made the teens gasp in amazement as they each took their puppet doppelganger. Dipper and Steven would've gone with them, but Dipper was still experiencing sugar-filled hallucinations, and Steven felt the mysterious sensation increase when he tried to touch his own.

"Amazing, they even got my muscles right!" Ronaldo praised.

"Please, if I wanted a see copy of myself outside of a mirror, I'd just stare at Kiki all day." Jenny said apathetically, referring to her twin sister.

"Speak for yourself. Little me is rocking his goggles." Sour Cream said, amused by his puppet's appearance.

"Not as much as mine is rocking his clothes!" Buck said as he made his puppet strike a cool pose.

"How'd these things even get here?" Robbie questioned, somewhat freaked out by his puppet.

"Not sure, Robbie. But hey, this is…awesome, right?" Sadie asked hesitantly as she begrudgingly played with her own puppet.

"Well, as fun as this is, we shouldn't spend the night playing with ourselves." Tambry innocently stated, only to blush immensely when she realized how that sounded.

"Aw, yeah! Didn't know you had it in you, Tambers!" Wendy praised as the rest of the teens laughed uproariously.

"Yeah, glad you're all having fun…" Mabel said halfheartedly as she trailed off. While she was glad that she avoided embarrassment, she was starting to see why Steven didn't want them to come here, even if she wasn't reacting like him. She took a glance towards the teens, only for their eyes to spontaneously glow blue. Mabel rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn't hallucinating like Dipper and sighed in relief when she saw their eyes turn back to normal. Still, seeing such frightening imagery twice in a row made Mabel feel uneasy.

Meanwhile, Steven did his best to keep a lookout for the moss, being able to see enough through the cracks of the debris that covered the window. Given that his sensations had returned since the puppets arrived and that he had a limited view, he couldn't get a complete picture, which made him worry.

"Hey, Steven! What are you looking at?" Buck cried out, having noticed Steven's behavior.

"Huh?" Steven asked, looking very sickly from his sensations, as he turned around. "Oh, I was just…" He trailed off as he glanced through the debris only to notice that the moss was clearly moving of its own accord, albeit slowly. If not for the semi-frozen water, it would've likely pressed against the base of the window. Steven stared at it fearfully, though it was hard to get a reaction with the sensations worsening. It was clearly on its way to creep through the window, but it went unnoticed by the rest of the group. "Uh…I'll be right back." Steven said as he clutched his stomach and ran off to find Mabel, much to the group's confusion.

At the same time, Mabel also snuck away to find Dipper, knowing that he was her best confidant. "Dipper, I need your help," she began, pacing nervously. "We're hanging out in an abandoned school, there's apparently some freaky moss growing outside, but if I say anything about it, Robbie will just think I'm a scared little kid!"

Unfortunately for Mabel, Dipper was in no shape to offer real advice, his eyes dilated as he foamed at the mouth from the sugary candy. He could only respond through a lazy, but clearly intoxicated moan as Mabel did her best to rouse her little brother.

"Dipper, how much of this junk did you eat?!" Mabel asked in concern.

"Just a bit over…twenty…blurty…sneven…" Dipper replied contentedly as he unceremoniously collapsed onto the floor, which worsened Mabel's anxiety as she held her unconscious twin in fear.

"Oh, sweet Moses. Oh, sweet Moses." Mabel said fearfully, knowing that this was a bad situation.

"Mabel, we need to talk." Steven said as he approached Mabel from behind, doing his best to not pass out from the pain.

"Steven, don't sneak up on me like that!" Mabel yelled, too on edge to have been subtle about her response.

"Sorry," Steven apologized, only for him to clutch his stomach even more. "But, I think that we should leave. Now."

"W-Why would we do that?" Mabel asked, doing her best to hide her previous anxiety. "Is your stomach acting up again?"

"I told you before, it's not a stomachache!" Steven said in a rare moment of frustration. "It's telling me that we shouldn't be here. It got worse after those puppets showed up. Also, that moss that I told you about is on its way."

"Oh," Mabel said, relieved that this could allow her to save face with the teens, especially Robbie. If she could convince everyone to leave because of the moss, they wouldn't have to deal whatever was going on in the school. "Well, if you think that leaving's the best thing to do…"

"Yes, I do. Not only that, but like I said before, there's something evil in this academy." Steven stated as he did his best to regain his composure. "We need to…tell…everyone."

"Uh, you can." Mabel encouraged, knowing that they would likely go easier on Steven if he interrupted the fun. "I'll catch up with you later. I still have a little brother to take care of." Mabel said as she gestured to Dipper, who was steadily regaining consciousness.

"Family comes first." Steven said with a relieved grin as he set out to tell the teens. However, before he even got close, Ronaldo's eyes brightly flashed blue as he dropped his puppet.

"Uh, Ronnie? You okay?" Tambry asked in concern as she tapped his shoulder, only for Ronaldo to grab her arm violently, which brought the young girl to her knees.

"Ronnie, what the hell's your problem?!" Wendy chastised, only to get her answer as Ronaldo opened his eyes, which were glowing the same shade of blue they'd seen before.

"Ronnie, what's going on?" Tambry asked fearfully, which only increased as Ronaldo's puppet started to move on its own. The sight made the teens, Mabel, and Steven gasp in apprehension, but none of them were expecting what would happen next.

"Guys, it's me!" Puppet-Ronaldo cried out, only for his real body to grab him as he tried to attack. Before anyone could question this, Tambry's puppet suddenly came to life and hugged her face, which made her eyes flash just as Ronaldo's had.

When Tambry opened her eyes, they were glowing just like Ronaldo's, and her real self was in her own puppet. Knowing what this likely meant, the remaining teens threw their puppets to the ground and back away.

"Help! Help us!" Puppet-Tambry yelled desperately, only for her original body to put her hand over her mouth as Ronaldo let her go. The two teens stared at their group blankly, none of the unpossessed sure what to do next. However, their own puppets started to come to life, their eyes glowing the same ghostly blue as Ronaldo and Tambry's.

" _ **Run, trespassers."**_ The bodies of Ronaldo and Tambry said simultaneously in a deep, masculine voice as the puppets went after their human counterparts, which made them run from the classroom, but not before Mabel grabbed Dipper.

"Okay, this is beyond insane!" Wendy yelled fearfully.

"I guess Ellis Darrow's ghost really does roam these halls!" Buck added.

"Whatever! Let's just get out of here!" Robbie yelled as they headed to the front door, doing his best to remain calm.

Unfortunately, they realized that the door wasn't there anymore, much to their confusion and apprehension.

"What happened to the door?!" Sour Cream yelled incredulously.

"Maybe they took it away because we're grounded?" Dipper suggested dizzily, clearly inebriated from his sugar high.

As if things couldn't get any worse, the moss abruptly came through the windows that were next to the front door, which made them all yell in fear, except for Steven who didn't have the energy for it.

"What the hell's that?!" Sadie yelled fearfully.

"It's some moss my…mom planted a long time ago." Steven hoarsely revealed, the sensations getting stronger by the minute.

"Wait, your mom?" Sadie asked, confused.

"Steven, what's going on?" Robbie asked in concern. "I know you haven't been looking great since we got in, but you look like you're about to keel over."

"I tried…to warn you. Why didn't you…listen to me?" Steven wearily said as he finally passed out from the sensations, much to Mabel and Robbie's shock.

"Steven, this is not a good time to be knocked out!" Mabel yelled in a mixture of fear and concern.

"Come on, Steven! We've got to find a way out of here!" Robbie said fearfully as he held the unconscious boy in his arms.

Suddenly, the puppet doppelgangers of the group caught up with them, with Steven's puppet lunging and expertly landing on the young boy's face. After Steven's original body's eyes flashed blue, Puppet-Steven glanced at his new form in shock.

"Oh, this is bad! Oh, this very bad!" Puppet-Steven yelled fearfully, which made Robbie yell in apprehension as he dropped Steven's original body, which got up and opened his glowing blue eyes.

" _ **Welcome to your graves."**_ Steven's body said as it grabbed Puppet-Steven before he could run away. _**"You will regret ever coming here."**_

"Trust me, not even a hint of doubt that's true, ghost!" Wendy said, semi-sarcastically.

" _ **No matter what, you'll never change!"**_ Steven's body yelled spitefully as Wendy's puppet lunged and hugged her face, which made her eyes glow the same blue. When it faded, Wendy's body grabbed her puppet form.

"Oh, come on!" Puppet-Wendy yelled incredulously as the remaining unpossessed members of the group fled, their puppets and the moss hot on their trail.

"Man, there's nothing to rave on about this!" Jenny yelled fearfully.

"That's seriously what's on your mind right now, girl?!" Buck said in disbelief.

"Leave her alone! She's entitled to think her own thoughts when we're facing death, or worse!" Sour Cream defended, strangely forming a small blush.

"They got Steven. They got Steven." Mabel said despondently, which the now-lucid Dipper noticed.

"Don't worry, Mabel. I know things look bad, but we'll get through them, just like we always…" Dipper encouraged, only to trail off when his own puppet ambushed him from above and landed on his face, which made the young boy's eyes widen in apprehension. "Oh, son of a…!"

With that, Dipper's eyes flashed blue, which forced Mabel to reluctantly drop her brother's body as they ran towards a nearby room. Dipper's body then clutched his puppet form, much to the real Dipper's displeasure.

"Run, Mabel! Run!" Puppet-Dipper cried out, only for his original body to put his hand over his wooden mouth.

"Oh, crap! Oh, crap!" Sadie yelled fearfully, only for her puppet to ambush her just as Dipper's had. Sadie cried out as her eyes flashed blue, which allowed her body to clutch her puppet form.

"Crap, infinity!" Puppet-Sadie finished as her body grabbed her wooden head. Soon enough, the remnants of the group arrived at the entrance to another classroom.

However, when the group opened the door, the entire floor was coated with the creeping moss. Mabel and Robbie were far enough away that they high-tailed it, but Jenny, Sour Cream, and Buck were almost instantly consumed by the moss.

Fortunately, they managed to find refuge in one of the bathrooms, which were thankfully bereft of windows.

"What does this ghost want from us?!" Robbie yelled in apprehension.

"Revenge, probably." Mabel said halfheartedly, still distraught by Steven and Dipper's capture.

"Hey, don't worry. I got you." Robbie said sincerely as he calmed down and gently stroked Mabel's hair, but the young girl was too concerned to notice.

"It just…doesn't make any sense. There's no rhyme or reason as to why the ghost is taking our friends." Mabel said in a saddened tone, which made Robbie's eyes widen in thought.

"Hang on, didn't Wendy say something about how Ellis Darrow's ghost wanted revenge on his teenage bullies?" Robbie mentioned, which stirred Mabel out of her depression.

"Hey, yeah!" Mabel said in realization. "I think I know how we can beat him now!"

"That's my girl!" Robbie praised as he gave her a brotherly peck on the cheek, which made Mabel blush immensely. "So, what's the plan?"

"Uh, just uh…stay here." Mabel said in a goofy daze as she ran out of the bathroom, much to Robbie's apprehension.

"Mabel, Mabel, what are you doing?! Mabel!" Robbie cried out as he ran after her.

Meanwhile, the bodies of Ronaldo, Tambry, Wendy, Sadie, Dipper, and Steven carried their real selves and laid them in the center of the room, around the destroyed statue.

" _ **This is it. It's a shame that three of my puppets will not have host vessels, but I can settle for you six."**_ Ronaldo's body said stoically.

"What did we ever do to you?" Puppet-Wendy asked defiantly.

" _ **You have trespassed into my home! Your penance is that your bodies shall be mine for the rest of eternity!"**_ Tambry's body said angrily.

"Nice try, buster! We're still alive…I think." Puppet-Dipper said, confused by their technical status.

" _ **Not for long. Once this wild moss consumes your puppet forms, you will never be able to regain yourselves."**_ Steven's body revealed.

"Look, I understand that you're hurting, but what'll enslaving our bodies for eternity do for you?" Puppet-Steven asked sympathetically.

" _ **There is no escape from this nightmare. The least I can do is punish the trespassers like He punished me all those years ago."**_ Dipper's body said wearily.

" _ **None of you will sway me to spare your lives. It'll be over soon enough and at least you will know the peace that has eluded me all these years."**_ Sadie's body added.

"Wait, if you guys stay here, you'll be consumed too!" Puppet-Tambry pointed out.

" _ **The moss can't detect what I am. It will pass over your bodies, but not your puppet forms."**_ Wendy's body revealed.

" _ **I will admit, you six are the first teenagers that I intend to keep. The moss disposal is a bittersweet bonus because of the gorgeous woman's disappearance in caretaking the moss."**_ Ronaldo's body said fondly.

"Wait, you knew my…?!" Puppet-Steven exclaimed in surprise, only for the ghost to interrupt using all their bodies.

" _ **Silence! Enjoy your suffering!"**_ The bodies of Ronaldo, Tambry, Wendy, Sadie, Dipper, and Steven bitterly exclaimed as the moss began to close in on their puppet forms.

As the group felt intense dread, Puppet-Steven managed to look up at the damaged ceiling, where he remembered the words Peridot said to him earlier: _"Rose Quartz used to climb that hill every winter and tend to the moss at the top in the light of the moon."_ It was then that Steven came up with a plan, and one that he prayed would work.

"Guys, I know what we have to do!" Puppet-Steven exclaimed, only to get no response as the others were frozen in fear. Oddly, Puppet-Sadie managed to recollect herself and shot an infuriated scowl at Puppet-Steven.

"Ugh, this is your fault, Steven!" Puppet-Sadie shouted bitterly. "It wasn't enough that your friend forced me to come here way ahead of schedule, but now we're all about to be eaten by this moss! Now, I'm never going to live long enough to be friends with these guys and it's all because of your…weird mom!"

Despite their current situation, these words hung on the air for what seemed like ages for Puppet-Steven, cutting through his very soul like a knife. While he would've been bawling his eyes out at such an insensitive comment, the fact that they were all in a life-threatening situation made him feel an intense level of rage, just below what he felt when Mabel and Connie were kidnapped.

"What do you know about my mom?" Puppet-Steven asked venomously, before it evolved into a fully enraged shout. " _ **I**_ never even got to know my mom! All that I do know is that she saw the beauty in everything! Even in stuff like this and even in inconsiderate jerks like you!"

A long silence hung between the two as Sadie backed off and the moss slowly crept towards them and the rest of the group. Puppet-Steven let out a sigh, or whatever was the equivalent in this body, never feeling right with getting angry, even when it was called for. Still, he didn't have time to dwell on his second-hand knowledge of his mother from the Gems and his dad when their lives were in danger.

"Come on. We need to make a hole in the ceiling." Puppet-Steven said in a dry and bitter tone.

"Okay, how's that going to help and how are you even supposed to make a hole in the ceiling when we're puppet-sized?" Puppet-Sadie questioned.

"It should make the moss bloom and the second one…well, it's a bit of a longshot." Puppet-Steven admitted as he concentrated, much to Puppet-Sadie's apprehension as she stared at the creeping moss.

"Steven, whatever you've got, hurry up!" Puppet-Sadie said fearfully as the moss started to consume the unresponsive members of the group.

"Hey, ghost!" Mabel declared as she walked towards the possessed bodies of her friends and brother, unaware that Robbie followed her in concern.

With that, the possessed bodies roared as they snapped their fingers, which levitated Mabel towards them and over the creeping moss. However, the young girl had fierce eyes as she stared at them in anger and resolve.

"I have something to say to you, freak!" Mabel yelled defiantly as she took a deep breath and exclaimed, "I'm not a teenager!"

Suddenly, the ghost freed itself from the bodies of the possessed group, which made their soulless bodies collapse onto the floor, thankfully far enough away from the moss that they would be safe for a while. Not long after, the ghost revealed itself to be an eight-year-old boy, clad in the academy's old uniform with a pair of old-fashioned glasses around his eyes. Mabel wasn't sure about the color of his hair, eyes, or clothes since they were bathed in same ghostly blue glow as the group's eyes were. Puppet-Sadie sighed in relief as she looked at Puppet-Steven, hoping that it would buy them enough time to save their lives.

" _Well, why didn't you say so, love?"_ the ghost warmly said in an admittedly adorable British accent. _"The name's Ellis Darrow, yes, it is and I'm eight-years-old…physically. How old are you?"_

Mabel briefly hesitated when she located Robbie, knowing that she had to tell the truth of her little white lie. "I'm…I'm twelve. So, you know, technically _**not**_ a teen."

" _When I was alive, the older kids picked on me for loving puppets. The teachers wouldn't do anything about it, so I took manners into my own hands, yes, I did."_ Ellis said with a cheerful smile that slowly dissipated as he continued his tale. _"I found this old book in my mum's study and summoned a being that would allow me to get revenge on them. The deal was that He would give me the power to get my revenge and in return, I brought their souls to Him."_

"What happened after that?" Mabel asked, somewhat concerned.

" _As it turns out, if you make a deal with the devil, you have to be ready to get burned. After I gave Him their souls, he refused to remove my powers and left to what He described as a 'Nightmare Realm'. I've been stuck here ever since, but I never bothered to enslave anyone's body until I met your friends, yes, I did. There's something about the one in the pink shirt that's familiar."_ Ellis continued with a bittersweet expression.

"Hang on, you became a ghost because of a deal?" Mabel asked as she fished out her journal from her left coat pocket, remembering a section about ghosts. It didn't take long for her to find the closest category for Ellis. "Okay, based on this, the only way for your spirit to pass on is if someone living can make you laugh."

" _Really?! I can…leave this place?"_ Ellis said in disbelief.

"It should. Based on this, you're between a category 4 and 5, since you didn't eat their souls." Mabel replied with a smile. "So, what makes you laugh?"

" _There is one thing. Do you know any funny little dances?"_ Ellis asked hopefully.

"Uh…is there anything _**else**_ I can do?" Mabel asked, wanting to do anything besides _**that**_ in front of Robbie.

" _ **No!"**_ Ellis roared as ghostly flames surrounded his body, which terrified Mabel into compliance.

"Okay! Okay!" Mabel relented as she formed an intense blush. "I do know the…Kitty-Kitty Dance." She answered reluctantly before she formed a smug smirk. "But, I can't really do it without a kitten costume, so…"

Unfortunately, Mabel had underestimated Ellis' ability to warp reality as with a snap of his fingers, Mabel wore an orange kitten costume and had red blush applied to her cheeks to make them rosier.

"Oh, well…there it is." Mabel said in embarrassment, knowing that there wasn't any real way out of this now. With that, she took a deep breath and mentally prepared herself for what was likely the most embarrassing moment of her life. "Well, who wants a kitty, kitty, kitty? I do! I do!" she began the sickeningly sweet song and dance that was burned into her mind by her well-meaning parents. "So, go up and greet your pappy, pappy, pappy! Hi, there! Hi, there!"

Robbie suppressed a laugh as he watched Mabel perform, not out of malice, but out of how unquestionably adorable Mabel was at this moment. Thankfully, it hadn't caught the attentions of Puppet-Sadie or Puppet-Steven, the latter watching the former in anticipation as he finally summoned a shield from his puppet form's Gem.

"That's what you've been wasting our time with?!" Puppet-Sadie yelled incredulously as the moss began to consume her as well.

"I really hope this works!" Puppet-Steven declared as he threw his shield towards the ceiling, mere moments before the moss began to consume his wooden form as well.

"Steven…this, sucks!" Puppet-Sadie bitterly yelled as the moss fully consumed her puppet form.

"Sadie!" Steven yelled as the moss finished consuming his form, unaware that his shield barely managed to hit the ceiling, which shattered it almost immediately, moonlight filling the ruins of the academy's foyer.

"So, sneak, sneak, sneak around the crazies…" Mabel continued, much to the enjoyment of Ellis, who was cracking a small smile.

"Yes, almost there." Ellis cheered, on the verge of laughing.

"Don't, don't, don't you forget about the babies!" Mabel went for a big finish as she gave a charming wink, even though she was thoroughly exhausted, physically and mentally, for performing that outside of her house. Still, she took solace in the fact that it was over, especially when Ellis turned her clothes back to normal.

" _That…was…hilarious!"_ Ellis praised as he finally let out the first laugh he made in years, unaware that his ghostly form started to glow a bright blue.

"Yes, it's working!" Mabel said, relieved that her embarrassment wasn't in vain.

" _Thank you, Mabel! But, before I go to wherever I should go, I have one piece of advice for you."_ Ellis said cheerfully, only for his smile to fade and was replaced with serious expression. _"Beware of the beast with one eye. Beware of the unholy creature that does not belong in any reality."_ Ellis warned, which made Mabel feel uneasy. However, Ellis' smile returned mere moments before he disappeared, his last words being, _"Well, goodbye forever!"_

With that, a large explosion of blue light illuminated the room, signifying that Ellis' spirit was finally put to rest. However, that wasn't the last event to occur as when the light faded, the moonlight started to work on the encroaching moss, mere moments before it could swallow up the soulless bodies of the group. Instantaneously, the moss erupted into an abundance of pink blossoms, which began to float out through the ceiling, debris-free windows, and the original door. The small flowers were incredibly beautiful, with glowing pink gems at their centers and silk-soft petals. As they glided into the air, they released everyone from their mossy prisons and allowed the souls from their puppet bodies to return to their rightful places. Thankfully, Buck, Jenny, and Sour Cream were breathless, but alive as they recovered, having been the only ones besides Mabel and Robbie who weren't possessed.

The victimized members of the group looked over their original bodies in relief, with Steven especially feeling exuberant, his mysterious sensations gone. With Steven and Sadie being the first to recover, they went over to Mabel and Robbie, who were simply staring at the incredible display of flowers.

"Not to undercut what you did Mabel, but this is pretty amazing." Robbie admitted in awe as he gave a her a brotherly half-hug.

"Yeah, well…this is nice, too." Mabel said, embarrassed, but relieved that she hadn't made a fool of herself in front of Robbie.

"The moss was just trying to bloom!" Steven exclaimed in wonder as he watched the flowers with stars in his eyes, knowing that he would've made his mother proud.

It wasn't long before the rest of the group joined them, all questioning exactly what transpired here, minus Dipper who was now feeling the unfortunate side-effect of eating old candy.

"Oh, no! I'm going to be sick!" Dipper grunted as he ran towards a nearby window and puked his guts out in the bushes, almost entirely missing the display of flowers.

"What exactly happened after everything went crazy?" Wendy asked as she rubbed her head.

"I think we all died…" Jenny moaned, still feeling weak.

"Hey, look at what's going on, guys!" Buck exclaimed, clearly amazed with the wafting blossoms as they disappeared into the night sky, some towards the moon itself.

The teens shared muses of awe at this sight, even Wendy, all impressed. "It's beautiful." Sour Cream said as he lifted his goggles, which reflected the moon.

"Wait, what even freed us from that stuff?" Buck questioned.

"Well, Steven thought that…" Sadie began to explain, only for Steven to interrupt her.

" _ **Sadie**_ broke a hole in the ceiling that allowed the moss to bloom while you guys were distracted!" Steven said with a sincere grin, even though he and Sadie knew the truth. Clearly, she hadn't been expecting that, but she couldn't help but feel grateful for it as Buck, Jenny, and Sour Cream gave her their grins of approval.

"I can totally rave to this!" Jenny exclaimed as she did that, moving to the impromptu beats of praise from her friends.

Steven and Sadie exchanged friendly grins before Sadie discretely shot one towards Dipper, who'd been too busy puking to notice.

"Hang on, if Sadie took out the moss, how'd we get our bodies back?" Ronaldo asked, rubbing his head to relieve his headache, which was the most severe given that he was the ghost's first victim.

"Oh, it's an astonishing tale of incredibleness!" Robbie began with a zealous grin. "The ghost of Ellis Darrow appeared and to free his soul, Mabel had to…" Mabel shot a concerned look towards Robbie, but the teen gave the girl a sly wink as he continued his story.

"... Totally beat the crap out of that freak! She took a piece of wood and just continued beating him until he ran all the way back to wherever he came from!" Robbie finished with a confident grin before he added, "I wasn't there for most of it, so it was probably too awesome for words!"

Mabel was somewhat shocked to hear this, but immensely relieved that Robbie had kept what she'd really done to free Ellis' soul to himself. As a sign of confidentiality between the two, Robbie turned to Mabel amidst everyone else celebrating and reveling in the flowers and nonchalantly zipped his lips, silently reassuring her that it would remain their secret. Mabel gladly returned the gesture, grateful that this nightmare was over, even though she was somewhat wary of Ellis' warning before he left.

It wasn't long before the blossoms disappeared into the night and everyone was ready to go back home after what they'd been through. Thankfully, Robbie offered the kids and Sadie a ride home in his van, with most of their friends clonking out as soon as they entered. Mabel and Robbie were the last to do so as they chatted outside.

"Well, that was definitely the craziest adventure we've been on so far." Robbie said with an odd nonchalance.

"Yeah, that definitely beat our last adventure…" Mabel admitted with a small smile.

"I think I'll just go stare at a wall or something and rethink everything." Robbie said seriously, only for him to return to his usual calm inflection as he got in the driver's seat. "But, hey…the next time we hang out, let's try to do something light and watch cheesy movies or something."

"Next time?" Mabel asked with newfound hope that they would hang out again, though without their lives being in danger for once. "Yeah! Let's just watch movies or something!" Mabel agreed heartily as she went inside with a content smile on her face, sandwiching herself between the sickened Dipper and drowsy Steven. "Next time…" she muttered with a satisfied smile.

"All things considered, this was a good night." Steven admitted sleepily as the van roared to life and drove away from the ruins of Welles Academy. "Right, Sadie?"

"Whatever…" Sadie said tiredly as she let out a big yawn. "Ugh, Lars is so making this up for me tomorrow. Maybe he'll make that Ube I love."

Still sick from the side-effects of the old candy, Dipper lazily embraced his content sister with a smile on his face. "Ha-ha! Guess we're even now!" Dipper said happily, referring to how he and Mabel had successfully saved each other from a supernatural threat.

"Guess we are, you adorable, sick, goof-bag!" Mabel replied with a sincere embrace that made Dipper smile immensely, which faltered when his stomach growled.

"Oh, I think I have food poisoning!" Dipper groaned as he clutched his stomach.

As the van filled with kids and teens rode away, none of them noticed when a large wind came through and blew away the remains of the statue, which revealed a bizarre, almost-faded symbol underneath; a wheel of strange symbols with an odd, triangular creature in the center.

 **AN: Well, I once again enjoyed this use of my time, even though it took longer than I expected it to take. It's still an honor and pleasure to do this Minijen, and I'll continue to do my best with this.**

 **So, rate, review, and I'll be back with the next chapter as soon as I can.**

 **Next time—Chapter 5: Strong in the Real Way**


	5. Strong in the Real Way

**AN: I'm pleasantly please with the reception I've gotten. Thank you all for your continued support in Momswap Rises. Now, to clarify from my last chapter, Bill is not Will in the Gravity Rises AU. Given the nature of this story, Bill's personality is more like Yellow Diamond's and vice-versa, but he's still Bill to his core, which is all I'm going to say for it right now!**

 **Now, the adventure continues!**

Momswap Rises

Chapter 5: Strong in the Real Way

 **Communication Hub 6:52 PM**

It was a rare occasion that the Gems would allow Steven to accompany them on missions, mostly from Peridot's admittedly suffocating love for their surrogate son and Steven's own reluctance to get into danger. However, his adventures with the twins and Connie inspired the boy enough that he convinced Peridot to allow him to come, but he wasn't exactly alone.

Even though the mission seemed simple, Steven managed to arrange for Connie to join them, if only to provide emotional support for him if anything went wrong. Thankfully, Connie was eager to see the Gems in action and Lapis had been especially supportive of bringing her along, which had worn Peridot down enough that she reluctantly allowed the girl to come, if only for Steven's benefit.

Given with how far away it was from Gravity Falls, it was already twilight when they arrived using the warp pad. Connie gasped in excitement when she noticed the light of the moon resting upon the imposing structure that was a few feet away from the warp pad; an illustrious, pillared tower that stretched high into the starry sky as it emitted a thin beam of light from its tip that likely stretched into space.

Steven had to close Connie's mouth after a few moments, but that did nothing to deter the young girl's awe for this incredible sight. "Whoa, what kind of cool, magical place is this?" Connie asked, amazed.

"Well, I'm glad that you asked…Connie." Peridot said, thinly-veiling her reluctance to having her here. "This was, in your…archaic human terms, a communication hub, which was used to send…messages among Gem-kind. Although, it's lately been transmitting bursts of electromagnetic interference."

"What does that mean?" Connie asked in confusion as the group headed towards the pillars of the structure.

"It's hurting television, Connie." Steven answered, much to the pleasant surprise of Peridot and Jasper.

"Oh, no! We have to do something!" Connie exclaimed as she gasped in dismay. "We can't let television die!" Before Connie could do some futile attempt to save television, Jasper nonchalantly restrained her.

"Nice try, Sunshine, but it won't do any good." Jasper answered succinctly as she put Connie back on the ground, giving her a new nickname in the process.

"Ugh, this would be so much easier if we were surrounded by water!" Lapis childishly lamented as she kicked a nearby rock.

"As rare as it is for me to say, I agree with you, Lapis." Peridot admitted as she summoned a holographic screen using her artificial fingers, thoroughly analyzing the structure. "These pillars would take several hours to destroy, even with Jasper and I giving our all."

"So, how are we going to stop the electromagnetic interference?" Steven asked curiously.

"Well, the only thing that could do it in time is…fusion." Peridot revealed after she finished her calculations.

"Whoa, does that mean that you and Lapis are going to turn into Amazonite, again?!" Connie asked in excitement, having heard of the fusion second-hand from Steven. Unfortunately, the mention of her name made Peridot and Lapis form uneasy expressions.

"Uh, no, Connie. Amazonite brings out the best and worst of me and Peri when it's all said and done." Lapis replied, nervously eyeing Peridot when she did so.

"Yes. Besides, I have a much more suitable fusion in mind!" Peridot declared, wanting to change the subject.

"I second that." Jasper said with a resolve as she turned towards Lapis. "We need Malachite. Lapis, let's fuse."

"What?!" Peridot and Lapis exclaimed in shock, but Lapis' shock was quickly replaced with unbridled joy. Lapis excitedly dashed forward, leaving Peridot behind as she lightly grumbled to herself in frustration.

"Yeah, let's mash it up! I won't have that nerd in my head for once!" Lapis cheered, unaware of Peridot's small frown from that comment.

As the blue Gem continued to celebrate, Steven managed to pull her away and ask, "Wait, so…you guys are going to turn into a different Gem fusion?"

Lapis merely screamed happily as her response, which made Steven feel slightly uneasy to see whatever this new fusion was. However, Lapis' excitement rubbed off on Connie, who excitedly ran towards the blue Gem, screaming happily as she took her hands and bounced in anticipation.

"Wait!" Peridot shouted as she nervously approached Jasper, trying to get them to see reason. "Jasper, think about this. You and Lapis can be a bit…boisterous when your personalities combine. We need to be more careful. Make Unakite with me."

"We don't need to be careful." Jasper replied as she laid a comforting hand on Peridot's shoulder. "We just need to be _**huge**_."

"Oh, yeah! I can finally go all-out!" Lapis declared as she cheerfully approached Jasper.

Jasper agreed as her gem glowed in anticipation, with Connie suppressing a laugh when she realized how much it resembled a character from one of her favorite Christmas TV specials. "Synchronize, now!" Jasper ordered as she took Lapis in her arms, both of their gems glowing brightly. Connie watched eagerly, but hers and Steven's eyes were shielded by some of Peridot's artificial fingers, who found the display to be too inappropriate for children.

"Oh, come on, Peridot! I want to see what fusion looks like!" Connie whined as she managed to pry enough of her artificial fingers away to see. Conversely, Steven made no such attempt as he was too nervous to see what would happen.

Connie managed to see Lapis and Jasper engage in a Tango-like dance, with Jasper leading. The duo danced gracefully, with Connie especially surprised at Jasper's movements. Lapis wrapped her legs around Jasper's thighs for a few moments before she placed her feet on the ground, which made Jasper elegantly spin her before she caught her in her arms. After a brief, smoldering gaze, their bodies glowed and shot a dark green beam of light into the sky, until, out of obscurity, a set of four glowing eyes emerged.

Jasper and Lapis' fusion was gigantic to say the least. Malachite easily dwarfed Amazonite by double and made Connie, Peridot, and Steven small by comparison. Her frame was a combination of Lapis' and Jasper's, thin, stacked, but muscular. She had dark green skin with Jasper's markings, Jasper and Lapis' gems on her body, though of a more varied coloration, four semi-muscular arms, long, pale green hair with some of Lapis' bangs, and four light green eyes; two small, cat-like eyes that acted like eyebrows and two larger, rounder eyes, likely meant to represent Jasper and Lapis respectively.

She wore a dark green waistcoat, but it had a noticeable window to show off her proportionate bust, a knee-length, dark green skirt that concealed her matching pants, dark green arm and leg bands, dark green sandals, and two dark green star symbols; one on her abdomen and the other on her left hip.

She wore a confident, twisted grin as she practically howled in excitement, which made the desert rumble like thunder. "Oh, yeah! The strongest, sexiest mamacita fusion is back in action, baby!" Malachite exclaimed boisterously as she cracked all four of her knuckles in anticipation.

"That's Malachite?!" Steven and Connie yelled in disbelief, though the latter had an excited grin while the former had a fearful frown.

"You got it, kiddies." Malachite said with a sly smirk as she bent down towards the kids and Peridot. "Hey, Steven, Connie, want to see something cool?"

While Connie eagerly nodded, Steven did a hesitant and obviously nervous one. However, the fusion hadn't noticed or cared about it as she summoned a set of large, dark green water wings from the gem on her back and stood up.

"Get ready to be blown away." Malachite said as she quickly, yet elegantly, flew up into the air like an arrow. After reaching her target height, she summoned Jasper's crash helmet, though now with the dark green colorations. She then used the water from her wings and spun rapidly into a ball. After a few moments, she rocketed towards the ground with an eager grin, easily demolishing a noticeable fraction of the pillars, which made Steven and Connie gasp, albeit for different reasons.

"That was incredible!" Connie declared, amazed.

"More like dangerous!" Steven yelled fearfully.

"I more than agree! Steven, Connie, we're getting out of here!" Peridot exclaimed as she dragged the duo into a motherly embrace.

"Ugh, why do you have to be such a buzzkill, Peridot? I want to stay and see some more fusion power!" Connie protested as she wiggled through her arms, much to Peridot's apprehension.

As Malachite repeated the process numerous times, Peridot noticed that that chunks of debris only got larger as they came closer to her and the kids. "Watch it, unstable brute!" Perdiot angrily yelled towards the giant fusion, preventively blasting a rock to pieces that was headed their way. Unfortunately, one of the pieces survived and sliced Connie on her right cheek, which knocked her to ground as she let out a pained gasp.

"Connie!" Steven and Peridot exclaimed in concern, only for the latter to stare at Malachite in contempt, blaming her for the injury. "Ugh! Why do you have to be so…reckless?!"

"Maybe you're just too _**little**_!" Malachite taunted as she continued her assault on the pillars.

"Kids, we're leaving." Perdiot said with finality, picking up a concerned Steven and injured Connie as they approached the warp pad.

"No, way! I can handle this!" Connie protested, unaware of Steven's concerned expression.

"This is exactly why I didn't want to bring a defenseless human girl along!" Peridot yelled in a huff, too angered to have acknowledged Connie's feelings.

"Wait, w-w-what about Malachite? Shouldn't we…help her?" Steven asked nervously.

"That unstable brute can find her own way home!" Peridot yelled venomously as she, Steven, and Connie warped away, much to the young girl's disappointment. Thankfully, they'd done so in the nick of time as a few seconds later, a large rock fell from the debris and crashed into the warp pad, shattering the latter completely.

 **Greasy's Diner 9:22 AM**

With their mutual need, the twins and Ford arrived at Greasy's Diner for breakfast, though it wasn't their first choice. Dipper had attempted to cook breakfast that morning, but it ended with almost the entire kitchen burning down and Dipper knocking over the fridge. Ford managed to stop the fire, but the local handyman, Jesus "Soos" Ramirez, recommended eating out until he could repair the damages. Thankfully, Ford wasn't too harsh on the boy…but he did forbid him from cooking until the end of winter break.

Since Gravity Falls was a small town, business boomed on Sunday mornings, so most of the town enjoyed breakfast at the diner of their own volition. Despite the bustling activity, their waiter managed to find the trio mere moments after they sat in a booth.

"It's nice to see you again, Susan. How are things?" Ford genuinely asked as he glanced from his menu.

Susan Wentworth was an elderly, stout woman around Ford's age with fair skin, large, gray hair in a beehive, light blue eyeshadow, mauve lipstick, and hazel eyes. She wore a greyish rose dress with a white apron and black shoes; the standard uniform for her job.

"Well, it's been a while since you've come in Fordsy." Susan said as she formed a small blush, using her nickname for Ford.

"Susan, we've been over this. I'm just here as a customer." Ford said as gently as he could.

"Maybe so, but if you ever want to take a break from science…you know where I am." Susan said flirtatiously, which made Ford form an uncomfortable expression.

"Uh, just three orders of the pancake special, Susan!" Ford said quickly, hoping that it would be enough to curtail her efforts.

"Coming right up, handsome." Susan said as she left and blew him a kiss, which made Ford shudder with unease.

"Grunkle Ford!" Mabel said playfully as she nudged him.

"Whoa, didn't know you were a ladies' man, Grunkle Ford." Dipper said good-naturedly.

"Trust me kids, it's not something I'm proud of or understand." Ford admitted as he slid down in exasperation.

Before Dipper or Mabel could comment any further, the clamor of the diner was silenced as the door abruptly burst open. Steven stood in the doorframe, clad in a black suit with a red tie, black shoes, and matching sunglasses. He remained silent as he motioned for someone to come inside. "The coast is clear. Repeat: the coast is clear." Steven said seriously as Connie emerged with a rare, annoyed expression, her right cheek covered in a ridiculous amount of gauze. Steven and Connie walked towards the trio, but Steven acted more like a bodyguard, walking in a circle around Connie the whole time, much to the young girl's exasperation.

"Whoa, Connie! What happened to you?" Mabel asked with concern as Connie stood in front of the table, which made Steven cease his circling as he stood beside her, his arms crossed authoritatively.

"Well, you didn't need to go to the hospital. That's not standard bandaging for a cheek wound." Ford pointed out.

"I know. Peridot went kind of crazy when I got hurt tagging along on one of Steven's missions." Connie stated as she pinched the ridge of her nose.

"What happened? Did you get hurt fighting a monster, or something?" Dipper guessed, concerned.

"I got hit by a rock." Connie said nonchalantly as she ripped off her gauze to reveal a small, yellow bandage under her right cheek.

While the trio took Connie's injury in stride, Steven hastily grabbed the gaze and tried to reapply it out of concern.

"Why'd you do that?! You need to be protected!" Steven said nervously.

"I'm not made of glass, Steven. It probably won't even scar." Connie pointed out as she formed a small smile, which made Steven form a small frown as he let the gauze drop out of despair.

"That's not the point, Connie. You shouldn't have even been there to see Malachite!" Steven countered as berated himself, unaware of a brief, hurt expression from Connie.

"Wait, who's Malachite?" Dipper asked, confused.

"She's the fusion of Lapis and Jasper. She's like, the total opposite of Amazonite. Not to mention that she's wicked powerful." Steven answered as he threw the gauze away in a nearby trashcan.

"That's an understatement! I didn't even meet Amazonite, but Malachite is the best! She's as tough as Jasper, but flies as gracefully as Lapis!" Connie said in admiration.

"I love Lapis and Jasper, but Malachite's way out of control!" Steven countered with a dismayed frown.

"How can you say that? Sure, I got hurt, but big deal!" Connie lightly chastised as she formed an excited smile. "She's a total Amazonian warrior! Strong, beautiful, and graceful! What's not to love?! You guys totally should've met her!"

"I think that I'd enjoy that!" Dipper said enthusiastically.

"No, you wouldn't have, Dipper. She's too strong! She doesn't care about anybody but herself and it's why Peridot can't stand her!' Steven pointed out as he grabbed his hair in frustration.

"Steven, you seem to have a problem with her yourself." Ford acknowledged.

"Which I don't understand. I mean, I wish I could be as strong as her!" Connie added.

"I wish, then you wouldn't have gotten hurt." Steven said glumly, unaware that it made Connie lightly frown.

"Wait, what's that supposed to mean? Are you saying that I'm not strong enough to tag along on missions?" Connie asked as she crossed her arms.

"No, that's not what I'm saying at all!" Steven countered as he formed an awkward expression and blush. "It's just that…you're a human…you're a girl…you're very beaut…"

"Oh, is that all you see when you look at me?!" Connie asked incredulously, accidentally cutting off Steven before he could finish.

"No, it's just that I care about…!"

"I'm not a baby, Steven! I can take care of myself!" Connie yelled in rare anger, much to the shock of Steven and the Pines' family.

"If I may, Steven does have a point." Ford interjected, attempting to resolve the situation. "I mean, you don't have any powers or muscles like Steven does, which is to be expected since you are a g…"

Ford immediately cut himself off when he saw Connie, and now Mabel, staring at him in anger. Ford immediately broke out into a sweat and started to stammer as Susan obliviously put their orders onto the table for them and left to serve another customer.

"T-T-That's not what I meant! I just mean that you aren't…built for the more dangerous stuff." Ford said nervously, which made Dipper facepalm at how his grunkle worded that.

"How dare you?!" Mabel and Connie yelled furiously as they took two glasses of orange juice from the table and threw the liquid into Ford's face before they left the diner in a huff.

"Oh, man. I think we totally screwed up, guys." Steven said sadly as he sat next to Dipper while Ford wiped himself off with some napkins.

"Uh, correction: you guys screwed up. I just stayed quiet because I know how to deal with the ladies." Dipper said confidently as he leaned on the table, only to slip from the orange juice and landed painfully on the floor.

"Regardless, I think that Mabel and Connie aren't going to be acting warmly to anyone with a Y-chromosome for a while." Ford said, disappointed in himself as he finished wiping off the orange juice.

"Yeah, the best thing we can do for them now is give them some time to cool off and they'll come back to us." Dipper said as he got back up and sat in his chair, now sporting a few scrapes.

"How can you be so sure?" Steven asked, smiling slightly from his advice.

"It's all here in _Preteen Love Magazine_." Dipper said as he nonchalantly took out the carefully folded magazine from his back pocket. "There's also a few articles here on how to please your love interest and study tips."

"Dipper, a magazine has no real "scientific" value. It's right for us to give them time to cool off because its common sense; not because of what a magazine says." Ford countered.

"Oh, man. What if they never forgive us?!" Steven fearfully hypothesized. He hyperventilated for a few moments before he said, "We need a test to prove that they'll come back."

"Steven, that isn't necessary. They'll be fine." Ford reassured, but that did nothing to deter the young boy's fears.

"I can't live with Connie mad at me! I have to know that she'll forgive me!" Steven yelled in apprehension.

"I understand that, Steven! Mabel means the world to me!" Ford said in understanding as he pinched the ridge of his nose in exasperation. "Look, if it'll put your mind at ease, we'll do something from the magazine."

"Really?! Awesome!" Dipper cheered as Steven calmed down with a relieved smile on his face. Dipper quickly scanned the room and formed a knowing smirk. "And I think we just found our test subject."

Dipper had located Sour Cream, Buck, and Jenny conversing in a booth on the other side, but he'd noticed that Sour Cream was intently staring at Jenny the whole time with a blissful smile and blush on his face.

"And that's how Kiki and I accidentally shut down our family's pizza place for a week." Jenny finished with an even expression.

"Wow, girl. Where'd you get the monkeys and fireworks?" Buck asked, having been the only one of the boys who'd been listening to the whole story.

"That's another story for another day." Jenny said with a small grin, only for her phone to start buzzing. She took it out of her back-left pocket and read a text message, which made her smile immensely.

"Well, you look happy. What's the 4-1-1?" Buck asked with a knowing smirk.

"I got a date today from one of the tourist boys." Jenny answered cheerfully and then formed a disappointed expression "Ugh, it's probably not going to last past the first date. Why isn't there a single eligible guy for me in Gravity Falls?"

"Oh, I don't know. He might be closer than you think." Buck said encouragingly as he nudged the love-struck Sour Cream, who was too distracted to notice.

"Buck, we've been over this. We're just friends." Jenny obliviously said as she laid a comforting hand on Buck's shoulder, which made the teenage boy grumble in exasperation.

"Well, just hurry back." Buck said as he crossed his arms in a huff.

"Don't worry. Boys will come and go for girls like me, but you two will always be my friends!" Jenny replied cheerfully as she left the diner, which made Sour Cream clutch his head in exasperation.

"Friend, friend, friend! That's all we'll ever be!" Sour Cream yelled in sadness as he let his head drop onto the table.

"Don't give up hope, buddy. You'll win her over yet!" Buck said encouragingly.

"I've been trying for the past ten years! I'm in the deep end of the Friend Zone! There's no coming back from that!" Sour Cream lamented as he started to bang his head onto the table.

"Ah, the Friend Zone. Many a man has been stranded in its murky depths." Dipper stated as he, Steven, and Ford walked up to the teenaged boys.

"Hey, guys!" Buck greeted warmly while Sour Cream could only manage a half-hearted wave and grumble.

"We couldn't help but notice that Sour Cream's having a bit of lady trouble." Dipper said suavely as he took out the magazine. "I think that we can help."

 **Gravity Falls Forest 9:45 AM**

Meanwhile, Connie and Mable were walking in circles in an open clearing of the forest, both having angered scowls on their faces.

"Ugh, men! Why do they have to try and protect us because we're "defenseless" girls?!" Connie yelled incredulously.

"I know! I mean, aside from the whole kidnapping thing, we've survived just as long as they have, but they still treat us like babies!" Mabel added as he angrily punched a nearby tree.

"I get that we're not half-Gem like Steven, but ugh! We don't need to be coddled!" Connie stated as she punched the same tree Mabel did, only it left a noticeable indent this time.

"Man, I just wish that we could find some way to show them that we _**are**_ built for this!" Mabel yelled as the girls stopped their pacing and sat back-to-back in the middle of the clearing.

"I'm with you there, Mabel. I don't like feeling like this, but what can we do?" Connie asked as the girls let out sighs of resignation.

Suddenly, the girls found themselves floating in the air alongside small debris. They both let out gasps of shock, but before they could react further, they heard a rustling in the nearby bushes. They managed to hold onto each other in fear, but nothing could've prepared them for the vision that emerged.

The figure that came out appeared to be a humanoid female, but with small, white horns protruding from her head. She had a generous figure, fair skin, long, red hair, and amber eyes. She wore a dark green dress with a window for her bust and it exposed her midriff, only instead of a bellybutton, it was a set of pink, cow-like udders. Still Mabel and Connie gasped in amazement from her beauty. Oddly, she had four arms and was bare-footed, or more appropriately, bare-hooved.

"Wow, you're really pretty." Mabel admitted, awestruck.

 _{Thank you, Mabel Andrea Pines.}_ the cow-woman said telepathically.

"You're wel…did I just hear you in my head?!" Mabel asked incredulously.

 _{Of course, dear child. All womanotaurs communicate like this.}_ the womanotaur clarified.

"Uh, no offense, but that's not how things work for us." Connie said uneasily.

 _{Oh, apologies Connie Maheswaren. I forgot that you two live in the world of man.}_ the womanotaur said condescendingly as she gently levitated them and the debris down to the ground.

"Thanks, but we never got your name." Mabel said, somewhat flustered from the experience.

"It's Karen. I am a member of the womanotaurs, a proud, lovely race, separated from the horrid world of man." Karen stated as she extended her hands, awkwardly putting two of them behind her back.

Connie and Mabel shared a glance before they hesitantly shook her hands, out of a rare combination of awkwardness and awe.

"So, you said that you're a womanotaur? You're half-human, half…cow?" Mabel asked awkwardly, having glanced down at her udders.

"By your standards, yes. I was summoned here because I sensed that the two of you were in distress out of our mutual hatred for men." Karen explained, having shot an intense glare in the town's direction.

"Well, I wouldn't go that far. We're just frustrated right now." Connie clarified as Mabel glanced awkwardly at the ground.

"And why wouldn't you be?" Karen asked rhetorically with a scoff. "The _**men**_ in your life treat you as if you're china dolls."

"That's not…always true." Mabel answered hesitantly. "I mean, Dipper always…"

"Oh, don't even speak his name, Mabel. Blood or not, a man is a man." Karen said tersely as she knelt to their eyelevel and warmly embraced them. "You want to show them that you can be strong. My race can teach both of you our secrets."

"I-I don't know. My parents always told me to never go to a second location with a stranger." Connie said hesitantly.

"Oh, but I'm not a stranger and you both desire to be stronger, yes?" Karen pointed out as she formed a proud smile. "Stick with me, and men will be at your mercy. What do you say?"

Mabel and Connie shared an awkward glance. They knew that they had to prove that they were just as capable as the boys in a fight, but Karen seemed to have a rather rigid view of men in general. They didn't exactly hate Steven and Ford for what they said, but the way that they said it made their blood boil. They soon formed a confident smile and nodded at each other before they gave their answer.

"We're in." Mabel and Connie said simultaneously.

"Excellent." Karen said cheerfully as her eyes glowed orange and enveloped them all. Mabel and Connie started to shriek in apprehension before a bright flash appeared and teleported the trio away.

 **Womanotaur Cave 10:02 AM**

When the light flashed again, Mabel and Connie had their eyes closed in fear. However, when they opened them, they saw a rather pleasing sight that made them gasp in awe. The Womanotuar Cave was immaculately clean and huge. There were several womanotaurs walking throughout the cave, all clad in brown, Spartan-like uniforms, sans a few that wore dresses like Karen's. Oddly, there didn't seem to be any men, which despite Karen's philosophy, confused Connie and Mabel.

"Uh, I'm not sure how to say this, but where are the men in your society?" Mabel asked, which instantly made the womanotuars gasp in incredulousness, minus Karen.

 _{Please, ladies. There's no need to be alarmed.}_ Karen telepathically said to her fellow womanotaurs, which made them sigh in relief and continue to go about their business.

"What's the deal with them?" Connie discretely asked.

"Our species is a rather unique one. You see, men of the species exist, but are referred to as manotaurs, stupid, vicious brutes that reside in the cave of a neighboring mountain." Karen explained.

"Oh, so do you guys uh…you know…?" Mabel asked hesitantly, forming an embarrassed blush.

"Well, of course we do, child. The men of any species are good for only one thing." Karen bluntly said and then cleared her throat to further explain. "You see, when we give birth, the boys are sent to live with their fathers while the girls remain with us. We gather once every five years to…do our necessary duty to keep our species alive."

"Isn't that kind of unfair? I mean, why not live alongside them, like we do?" Connie asked, which briefly made Karen's smile turn into a scowl.

"And risk having them raise our daughters to be warriors and punch everything in sight? Or if they wanted us to raise their sons to be proper gentlemen?" Karen answered with a hint of hatred. "With that mindset, you'll never be able to unlock the power of our superior species."

"No, no please! We want to learn how to be strong like you, Karen!" Mabel requested eagerly, much to Karen's joy.

"Well, that's a good step in the right direction, but I sense that Connie is not as…eager as you are." Karen said as she stared at Connie in condescension.

"Uh, no, no! I want to see if we can get stronger than Malachite. She's a total Amazon and an awesome Gem fusion." Connie said quickly, only for the womanotaurs to gasp once again in apprehension. Surprisingly, one of them started to approach the girls with an angered scowl on her face.

"Gems?! What business do you have with those traitors, child?!" a dress-clad womanotaur asked incredulously as three more joined her.

"Erica, they mean no harm. They are merely ignorant of why we don't associate with them." Karen defensively stated.

"They are protectors of humanity; the world of man! None of them deserve to resemble our gender with that mindset!" Erica furiously bellowed.

Karen sighed deeply before she decided that introductions were in order. "Girls, this is Erica, one of the members of the Womanotaur High Council. We also have Aya, Farah, and Winona alongside myself."

"Forgive our fellow sister. She is rather…blunt with her perceptions of the world of man." Aya answered hesitantly.

"It is no different from our own, Aya. We simply have more self-control than other members." Farah said haughtily.

"Can you blame her? Her father was part of the Leaderaur's lineage; the most savage bloodline of the manotaurs." Winona said condescendingly, unaware of Erica's now indignant expression.

"My blood does not define me, Winona! I earned my right to be here and join the council!" Erica said furiously.

"Now, now, we don't need another fight amongst ourselves." Karen said placatingly, pointing towards a large, dried bloodstain splattered heavily onto a side of the wall. "Oh, blood makes such a mess, don't you agree?"

"Even so, this requires deliberation of the highest order!" Aya said proudly, only for her and the remaining members, including Karen, to simply huddle together and share a psychic conversation, much to Mabel and Connie's discomfort.

"Uh, Mabel, I'm starting to have second thoughts about this." Connie said nervously, sweating in fear from the large bloodstain.

"We can't back down now. If we do, we'll never show the boys that we're strong!" Mabel countered.

Soon enough, the meeting ended, with Karen being elected to declare the verdict.

"Well, despite my skillful eloquence, we have decided that you two may not learn of our psychic powers and are banished from the Womanotaur Cave." Karen said with a small frown.

"Aw, what?" Mabel asked incredulously.

"W-W-Well, if that's what you think is best…!" Connie said fearfully as she tried to drag Mabel away, only for the young girl to break free of her grip and stare at the womanotaurs in defiance.

"Okay, we'll go. After all, training isn't a…woman's job." Mabel said smugly, which made the council form angered scowls, aside from Karen who merely gasped in shock.

"Child, you speak blasphemy!" Erica yelled angrily.

"We can do anything a worthless man can do! Better even!" Winona added.

"Girls, please, don't do anything you'll regret." Karen begged, not wanting to them to suffer the wrath of her people.

"We could easily make your heads explode with a simple thought! No mere man could ever do something like that without a weapon!" Aya bellowed.

"Mabel, what are you doing?" Connie fearfully said through clenched teeth.

"Just trust me. This is how Captain Grissom convinced his Lexto captors to free himself in the third book." Mabel discretely answered with confidence.

"Your betting our lives on a sci-fi nerd book?!" Connie asked incredulously.

"You know, if it's too much trouble for you, maybe you don't have what it takes." Mabel said to the council, ignoring Connie. "Maybe you're all just a bunch of…housewives."

The entire council gasped with shock at Mabel's bold claim, with Connie fearfully clutching her head, thinking that the womanotaurs would certainly kill them both. Thankfully, they merely huddled again and came to a quicker verdict.

"Girls, despite your origins from the world of man, we have decided to teach you both our superior, womanly secrets." Karen said with a hint of pride as the council members nodded in approval.

"May the Goddess be with you!" the remaining council members proudly declared.

"Thank you, ladies. We won't let you down!" Mabel said confidently with a grin.

"Oh, thank goodness!" Connie declared, immensely relieved that their lives were spared.

 **Ford's House 1** **st** **Floor (Living Room) 10:15 AM**

Dipper had successfully convinced Sour Cream to accompany him, Steven, Ford, and Buck to the old man's home. While Dipper was more invested in helping Sour Cream with his problem, Steven felt guilty that he only went along with it to prove that Connie and Mabel would come back to them. Buck was there for emotional support for his friend and Ford allowed this to reassure Steven.

"Okay, Sour Cream. If you want to succeed in the game of love, you just need to listen to this magazine!" Dipper said energetically as he flipped towards the article that could help them.

"No offense, Dipper, but I don't think this is going to work." Sour Cream said, despondent as he headed towards the door. "I think I should just go back home and watch TV or something."

"No way, bro! If you ever want to get out of the Friend Zone, this might be your only chance!" Buck said defiantly as he grabbed his friend's wrist.

"I'm telling you, it's hopeless. I'm too far gone." Sour cream said, unfazed by Buck's efforts.

"Listen to me, SC. Do you love her?" Buck asked seriously, which made Sour Cream sigh heavily.

"Yes." Sour Cream answered bitterly.

"Do you want to hold her?!" Buck asked defiantly.

"Yes." Sour Cream answered with a hint of happiness.

"Please her?!" Buck asked as he set his friend down on the couch.

"Yes!" Sour Cream said with confidence.

"Then let's try a little advice! The girls love it when a man's romantic!" Buck said encouragingly.

"Yes!" Sour Cream said proudly.

"Fantastic! Now, the first step is to talk to her." Dipper stated as he read from the magazine, which made Sour Cream's eyes widen with anxiety.

"Why?!" Sour Cream yelled incredulously as he buried his face in one of the couch pillows.

"He's as doomed as when Probabilitor summons the Impossibeast, isn't he?" Steven discretely asked Ford.

"Oh, definitely." Ford bluntly said.

"Don't be such doubters, guys! Sour Cream's got a good chance to make this work!" Dipper said encouragingly as he pried the pillow from Sour Cream's face.

"Okay, okay. I'll try." Sour Cream said breathlessly as he composed himself.

"Look, you're psyching yourself out. All you need to do is talk to her as more than a friend. Compliment her, make her feel good about herself." Dipper advised as he read from the magazine. He then closed it and went to retrieve a broom with a Xeroxed picture of Jenny taped to the front.

"Uh, what's the deal with that?" Steven asked, confused.

"It's a practice dummy, Steven. Since we don't have any eligible ladies or dresses, I had to improvise." Dipper clarified as he handed the dummy to Sour Cream, who was already sweating from seeing Jenny's picture.

"Okay, maybe this w-w-was a bad idea." Sour Cream said nervously.

"Don't worry. Just remember that this is a safe, nonjudgmental environment." Dipper said placatingly, secretly looking over the dating scale in the magazine. However, before the simulation could start, Peridot walked in through the front door.

"Ford, I could use your help on something." Peridot said anxiously.

"Oh, Peridot! Nice to see you, again!" Dipper said chipperly, which made Peridot awkwardly wave back with her artificial fingers.

"Nice to…see you too, Dipper." Peridot greeted hesitantly.

"Hey, do you want to help Sour Cream get together with Jenny? We could use a woman's opinion on this." Dipper requested.

Peridot glanced at the teen and formed an awkward expression, having very little experience when it came to romance. "Sorry, but…no." Peridot said succinctly as she ran out the door, towards the temple.

"Huh, her loss." Dipper said, unfazed by Peridot's behavior.

"What do you think she wanted to talk to me about?" Ford asked everyone.

"Eh, who knows? Out of all the Gems, she's the strangest one." Buck said apathetically.

"Y-Y-Yeah, but she seemed flustered for some reason." Steven said nervously as she glanced towards the fleeing Gem. "Maybe she needs me."

"Maybe, but let's just see how Sour Cream does with Broom-Jenny." Dipper said dismissively as he motioned for Sour Cream to start.

Sour Cream sweated profusely as he stared at Broom-Jenny, unable to talk to her, even though it was an inanimate object. This continued for a few moments until he let out a few raspy mumbles and finally collapsed from fear.

"I just can't take the rejection!" Sour Cream lamented as he curled into a little ball.

"Oh, boy. This is worse than I thought." Dipper said in a mix of exasperation and concern, knowing that he had his work cut out for him.

"Uh, tell me how it goes, Dipper. I think Peridot needs me more." Steven said halfheartedly as he waved goodbye to the group and followed the green Gem back to their home.

"I'd go with him, but it looks like he'll need all the help he can get." Ford stated as he pointed towards the disheartened Sour Cream.

"Ugh, why are girls so complicated?!" Sour Cream yelled incredulously.

"You're not wrong, Grunkle Ford. You're not wrong." Dipper admitted wearily.

 **Crystal Temple (Steven's Room) 2:42 PM**

Peridot felt a massive amount of anxiety ever since they left the Communication Hub, which only grew since Lapis, Jasper, or even Malachite hadn't returned from their mission. It was already mid-afternoon and the fusion had yet to return, which greatly distressed the green Gem, especially since she figured out that the warp pad to the Communication Hub was inexplicably down. It wasn't out of doubt that the gigantic fusion couldn't take care of herself, but she knew the dangers of fusing for too long…the same ones that Jasper and Lapis as individuals knew all too well.

Still, Peridot wasn't completely flustered as Steven had abandoned his mission to comfort her, which warmed the green Gem's heart immensely. Since Steven knew that she didn't eat or drink due to not needing to as a Gem, Steven did his best to reassure Peridot whenever he could, even though he knew that tea would've worked like a charm to calm her down.

However, instead of finding the fusion of her components, Peridot did manage to cross paths with Mabel and Connie, who managed to come in thanks to knowing of Steven's emergency key underneath a fake rock next to the door.

"Mabel, Connie, what are two doing here?" Peridot asked curiously as the girls headed into the kitchen.

"Oh, don't mind us, Peridot." Connie said with a grin, which faltered when she saw Steven looking at her.

"Yeah, Steven said that we could get snacks here whenever we want, so…here we are!" Mabel explained as she raided the pantries for snacks.

"Not that I don't…appreciate your company, but why are you getting snacks?" Peridot asked, confused as Steven stared in concern.

"Oh, we met this cool group of real women, the womanotaurs." Connie said with a hint of smugness, her earlier trepidation gone. "One of them teleported us here to get snacks for us and them."

"Wait, what?!" Peridot asked in concern.

"Yeah, they're going to teach us how to be strong, maybe even stronger than Malachite!" Mabel said proudly as she cradled several mini-bags of popcorn in her arms.

Peridot flinched from the mention of the fusion's name, but she composed herself to deal with the current situation. "Uh, how did you run into those…misandrists? They're not exactly the sanest creatures in Gravity Falls."

"Yeah, they seemed to have bad blood with you guys for protecting humanity." Mabel said contemplatively.

"Well…they think of us as a "disgrace" to females because we appear like them, but we protect everyone, regardless of gender." Peridot said blatantly. "We've done our best to remain on good terms with the creatures of Gravity Falls, but they and the manotaurs fail to meet us halfway."

"Oh, come on! They're a little…intense, but they aren't that bad." Connie said with faux-aloofness, wanting to keep up appearances for Steven, who was too nervous to say anything out of fear that it would make their current relationship worse.

"Yeah, and they're going to teach us how to strengthen our minds and dominate our enemies!" Mabel declared with eagerness.

"Look, it's just that…maybe you two should reconsider." Peridot suggested, knowing that Malachite and the womanotaurs had a similar, twisted philosophy for strength.

"Aw, what? This is the only way we can show the boys that we're strong too!" Mabel said in disbelief, briefly eyeing Steven in anger.

"Okay, that's enough!" Peridot declared authoritatively, having noticed Mabel's attitude towards Steven. "You don't need their help to show your strength. There's plenty of other ways to be strong."

"But…we need to be strong in the _**real**_ way!" Connie declared, believing that true strength lied in mental powers.

"To show the _**men**_ that we're better!" Mabel readily agreed with a confident grin.

"Girls, m-m-maybe…"

"Oh, shut it, Steven!" Mabel and Connie harshly interrupted before they ran out of the house with their snacks. Peridot and Steven ran outside, but a bright, orange flash obscured their vision. When it faded and they opened their eyes, the girls were gone.

Peridot let out a disappointed sigh, mostly at herself. She should've known that Connie would go off the deep end after seeing Malachite in action. While she and the other Gems, minus Steven, hadn't had much interaction with her, Peridot instantly knew how impressionable she was and intentional or not, the womanotaurs were taking advantage of that. Even worse, Connie somehow convinced Mabel to join her instead of learning how to be strong in a more balanced way, one without the misandrist views of the womanoaturs and one that Peridot would've been happy to teach.

Steven wasn't better off, only he took it a step further by lightly banging his head against the wall of his house. He couldn't help but feel responsible that Connie was involved with the womanotaurs only because of him. Granted, the young Gem wasn't the best with words, but he still felt as if he should've done more to prevent Connie from doing something like this. While she wasn't a half-Gem like him or well-versed in weapons training, she didn't need to prove herself to him. He didn't feel obligated to protect her because she was a girl, but because he…cared about her.

Neither of the two Gems were entirely sure how to properly vent their new frustrations, but Peridot turned to one of the few non-electronic pleasures she found on Earth: singing. Given that Steven also loved to sing, but was terribly shy, he often practiced in secret with Peridot to the point that it was an unspoken arrangement for them to do a duet. Knowing that the young Gem wasn't experienced in doing this in a bad mood, Peridot gently led him away from the house and embraced him as they stood on the balcony. Surprisingly, Steven managed to find his voice first.

" _Why do you have to look up to them, aside from a literal sense?"_ Steven began with tearful remorse. _"Don't you know that a power that big, comes with a bigger expense?"_

" _And can't you see that they're out of control and overzealous?"_ Peridot joined in with a nasally, but admittedly adorable, singing voice, though with a scorn as she vocalized her feelings. _"I'm telling you for your own good and not because I'm…"_

Peridot cut herself off, unable to admit the truth to herself or Steven. The aversion towards the womanotaurs was understandable, but her hidden envy towards Malachite ran deeper than she cared to express. _"I could show you how to be strong…in the real way. And I know that we can be strong…in the real way!"_

Peridot and Steven paused briefly as they glanced towards the horizon; a new idea striking them. While their reasons for their frustrations were different, neither of them could deny that they were worried about Connie and Mabel. Even if they wouldn't listen to them, the least they could do was keep a close eye on them. While Peridot swore to intervene if the situation got out of control, Steven swore to do so at the first hint of harm towards Mabel or Connie. _"And we want to inspire you,"_ the duo sang with new boldness as they ventured out of the house, with Peridot knowing the exact location of the cave. _"We want to be your rock and when we talk, it lights a fire in you…"_

 **Gravity Falls Forest 2:55 PM**

As it turned out, the womanotaur's training involved daunting mental tasks for the two girls, a "Trial of Womanhood", as they called it. Nevertheless, Connie nor Mabel backed down from the challenge, even though Mabel was obviously displeased by the fact that they had changed into the non-council womanotaur's Spartan-like outfits, which was mostly because she was now wearing a skirt. As expected, the first task involved lightly moving a tree with the power of their minds. As the girls did their best to accomplish this seemingly impossible task, Peridot and Steven weren't too far behind, taking refuge around the Womanotaur Cave or the forest's trees as they observed the girls, a refrain of their earlier song going through their minds.

However, since womanotaurs couldn't read Gem minds, Peridot safely encapsulated the top of Steven's head in a green bubble, unwilling to risk Steven's mind to be read since he was only half-Gem.

" _We can show you how to be strong…in the real way…"_

While they were impressed on how they managed to pass the first test, Peridot and Steven rolled their eyes as the womanotaurs indulged in a rather cringe-worthy perpetual frenzy of praise towards the girls and each other.

" _And I know that we can be strong…in the real way…"_

Despite their opinions on the matter, Mabel and Connie were having the time of their lives, who, despite their views on men, were very kind towards the duo. Granted, some of the tasks were different from each other, like rolling a boulder towards them and expecting them to deflect it with their minds. For all their methods and their philosophy, both girls relished in their time with them, with them both feeling that they were on their way to true womanhood.

" _And we want to inspire you. We want to be your rock…"_

As the day progressed and the challenges became more mentally demanding, it became clear that Connie was lagging in comparison to the more experienced womanotaurs. Granted, neither of the girls ever pushed their minds to their extent, but Connie had the most trouble since she was a bit of a scatterbrain when it came to mental exercises. Thankfully, Mabel managed to help her through the more intense challenges, which the womanotaurs approved of. Though Peridot and Steven were tempted to intervene after seeing Connie struggle so much, Peridot restrained herself and Steven; knowing that they had to learn that the strength they sought came at a great price.

" _And when we talk, it lights a fire in you…"_

 **Womanotaur Cave 5:34 PM**

After several hours of mental exhaustion and hard work, the girls finally got a well-deserved break as they joined the womanotaurs in one of the cave's hot springs. Even though they changed into their swimsuits, Steven didn't observe them out of respect for Mabel and Connie, relying on Peridot for any status change. Connie especially enjoyed the soak, her mind having grown stronger than she ever thought possible, even though it came with a severe headache that was soothed by the hot springs' waters.

"Gals, I've got to say that this has been an awesome day." Mabel said with a grateful grin.

"Even though my head's still pounding." Connie moaned, her voice muffled a bit as she slid down into the waters to help her headache.

"No one's arguing that it's been…intense." Mabel admitted as nicely as she could, unable to deny her own headache. "Still, I feel like we've been making some nice progress. I mean, you gals took us under your wing and you've all been so supportive."

"Yeah, you girls have been great!" Connie chimed in wearily, barely able to keep herself from drowning.

"Oh, stop it!" Karen said bashfully, only to form a small smile. "No, don't stop it. We're the best, after all!" Karen added as the other womanotaurs generally praised them, very flattered.

"Connie's right; you gals really are the best." Mabel said sincerely. "I think that I speak for both of us when I say that we're really becoming women thanks to you."

"Not yet, children. There remains only one more task before we bestow unto you the power of telepathy; the last step to prove your superiority to men." Karen clarified.

"Aw, what?!" Connie whined, not in the mood for another mental challenge.

Conversely, Mabel was more than ready to take on whatever challenge they had in store for them. "We've survived forty-nine other challenges." Mabel said with a determined grin. "Whatever you've got, bring it on, ladies!"

Connie groaned in anxiety upon hearing this, not sharing the same sentiments. While she was glad that the womanotaurs helped them unlock their telekinetic powers, though they wouldn't last long without regular training, Connie felt as if she and Mabel had pushed themselves enough. Even though having telepathy would be useful, Connie knew that it would open a can of worms if she or Mabel used it improperly. Still, she couldn't risk looking weak right now, knowing that Malachite wouldn't have backed down from this.

Wanting to get this out of the way and prove their superiority to men, the girls followed the council womanotaurs into a deeper part of the cave. Neither of them were sure what this last challenge would take, but they felt some level of excitement as they stood in front of an opulent door with five handprints aligned vertically, likely some kind of password meant for the council members.

"Behold, the true leader of the womanotaurs." Karen stated as she and her fellow members took their places in front of the door.

They each placed one of their hands in a specific order on the door, each handprint glowing white. When the sequence was complete, the door became enveloped in a white glow that forced Mabel and Connie to shield their eyes. As the light faded, Mabel and Connie slowly opened their eyes and gasped in amazement from what they saw.

"Presenting our illustrious leader: Goddesstaur!" the entire council proudly introduced.

The Goddesstaur was significantly taller than the womanotaurs, taking up almost the entire height of the cave. She had fair skin, long, blonde hair, dark blue eyes, and astonishingly, six arms. She wore a long, white dress that concealed the lower half of her body and her proportionate bust. Despite her overwhelming appearance, in height and beauty, she had a smile on her face as she greeted Mabel and Connie.

"So, these are the lovely girls who wish to prove their superiority to men." Goddesstaur said softly, in a voice that inadvertently made Mabel remember Amazonite's wonderful singing.

"Y-Y-Yes, ma'am." Connie said nervously.

"Do not be afraid, dear children. You need only to do one simple task to gain the final ability of my people." Goddesstaur advised sweetly, only for her smile to turn into an angered scowl. "Climb the highest treetop in the far end of the forest and bring us the head of the Morningstar Griffin!" Goddesstaur yelled in a volume that shook the cave to its very core.

The council womanotaurs politely, but audibly gasped upon hearing the challenge. "The Morningstar Griffin?" Mabel asked with a hint of trepidation in her voice. "Like, the half-lion, half-eagle thing?"

"She is our sworn enemy!" Goddesstaur yelled in a booming voice, before she cleared her throat, which made her return to her original tone. "Conquer her and your womansformation will be complete.

"Wait, by conquer do you mean…kill?" Connie asked with a frown, taken aback by the concept of killing a sentient creature.

"Of course, Connie." Goddesstaur said in a condescending tone, believing that it was obvious. "How else can you prove your superiority to men without killing something they have failed to do by using your minds?"

Mabel and Connie shared an uneasy glance, both uncomfortable at the thought of killing a sentient creature, even something as monstrous-sounding as the Morningstar Griffin. Connie was particularly too conflicted by the dilemma as she felt a knot in her stomach. Thankfully, before she could voice her concerns, Mabel found her courage first.

"I don't know about this, girls." Mabel said with a hesitant frown, unwilling to kill anything sentient as part of a feud.

"Maybe Peridot was right." Connie added, which made the womanotaurs, including Goddesstaur, gasp incredulously.

"Blasphemy!" Erica vocalized for the entire group.

"Uh, don't be ridiculous, Connie! Peridot's right about a lot of things, but not this!" Mabel hastily defended, wanting to stay in the womanotaurs' good graces.

The womanotaurs didn't seem too convinced as they frowned at the two girls, shaking their heads in disapproval. Caught up in the heat of the moment and her desire to be accepted by them, Mabel was quick to act first as she focused her mind and gently lifted some pebbles from the ground. "We'll do it!" Mabel proclaimed proudly as she then set the pebbles back down, with Connie frowning in anxiety. "We'll conquer the Morningstar Griffin!"

"Uh…yeah, yeah. We'll totally…conquer her." Connie agreed halfheartedly, even though the womanotaurs could sense her trepidation. Nevertheless, they were confident that Mabel could succeed, so they cheered for them both as they ran out of the cave. A few moments after they left, they hadn't noticed Peridot and Steven had caught wind of their mission and were filled with dread. While Steven wanted to intervene when they reached the cave opening, Peridot kept him in check. Dutifully, they shared a nod and quickly, but quietly, followed the girls, hoping that they wouldn't do something they would regret.

 **Ford's House 1** **st** **Floor (Living Room) 5:42 PM**

Much like Mabel and Connie, Dipper, Buck, and Ford undertook a difficult challenge for the afternoon, though a very different kind. They had thrown themselves into helping Sour Cream with asking out Jenny. Sadly, the teenager made very little progress, too frightened about Jenny's possible rejection to make it far. They did their best, but with Sour Cream's progress, it seemed to be a lost cause.

"Okay, SC. You just need to get out of your head and everything will be fine." Dipper advised as he pinched the ridge of his nose in exasperation.

"You can do it, Sour Cream. Show that dummy who's a man!" Buck said encouragingly.

"Remember, practice makes perfect…or at least, passable." Ford said bluntly, having gauged his previous attempts.

With that, Sour Cream tried again to talk to Broom-Jenny, this time with an anxious expression. He took in a deep breath and said, "Jenny, I know that we've been friends forever, but…" Sour Cream trailed off as his nerves got the better of him, which made him groan in exasperation and look down at his feet.

"He…said an extra word that time." Buck said, somewhat nervously.

"Look, the problem here is that he just turns into a mess whenever he's around Jenny. We just need to figure out how to fix that." Dipper admitted as he scrolled through the magazine for advice, having invested too much time to back out now. As such, he was unaware of Ford suddenly taking Sour Cream and sitting down with him in a fatherly fashion.

"Sour Cream, listen to me. I have no knowledge when it comes to dating, but I did have a…brief experience with a girl at my high school prom." Ford said hesitantly as he let out a depressed sigh. "It started and ended with me asking her to dance, but she threw a drink in my face and left. The only reason I had the courage to even approach one is because I remembered something that my father said."

"What was that, Prof. Pines?" Sour Cream asked hopefully.

"I don't remember the exact quote, but it went along the lines of: be a man and punch your problems in the face!" Ford said with an odd fondness, having been one of the few good memories he had with his father.

"Uh, I'm pretty sure that would get me hit in the kiwis…or put in juvie." Sour Cream stated, having missed the point of Ford's advice.

"Well, not literally, of course! The point is that for better or worse, you can't go on without telling Jenny how you feel or else she'll move on and you'll lose her forever." Ford clarified as he laid a fatherly hand on Sour Cream's back. "Do you understand, Sour Cream?"

Sour Cream formed a contemplative look as he took in the true meaning of Ford's advice. It was true that he debated with himself on when to tell Jenny, but the timing never worked. Every time he worked up the courage to tell her, she was either depressed about a break up or dating someone new. He never wanted to be one of Jenny's random guys that she dated and never saw again, not to mention that his birth parent's relationship didn't give him much hope for finding love. Still, he couldn't continue his façade of being happy with just being her friend. After a few moments, Sour Cream stood up and walked over to Broom-Jenny, now more confident than he'd ever been.

"Jenny, I know that we've been friends forever, but I need to tell you that…I want us to be more than friends!" Sour Cream proudly declared as he embraced the dummy in a loving hug, much to the adulation of his three-man audience.

"Awesome! You did it, Sour Cream!" Dipper praised as Sour Cream relinquished his hold on Broom-Jenny.

"You're going to be great, buddy!" Buck added with equal fervor.

"Way to go, kid!" Ford stated proudly, only to be caught off-guard when Sour Cream suddenly hugged him.

"Thanks, Prof. Pines! I've got to tell her, now!" Sour Cream said sincerely, only for his and Buck's phones to ring with a text message.

"Oh, snap! Jenny's back from her date…and it ended badly for the other guy! She's at Greasy's Diner; this is your chance, bro!" Buck said excitedly after reading the message as Sour Cream formed a jubilant expression.

"Get ready to get punched in the face, Jenny!" Sour Cream said happily as he ended the embrace and ran out, much to the confusion of Dipper and Buck as they joined him, wanting to see how this would end.

"Aw, young love." Ford said blissfully as he waved goodbye to the trio.

 **Gravity Falls Forest 5:53 PM**

The trek to the far end of Gravity Falls' forest proved rather easy since Mabel and Connie learned how to use their powers to move their own bodies across far distances. They soon arrived at what was undoubtedly the tallest tree in the forest, with Mabel and Connie only getting a glimpse of the massive nest at the top from the ground. While they could easily make the climb with their new powers, they both felt a massive uneasiness with what the womanotaurs were expecting of them.

Despite their mutual reluctance, both girls slowly scaled the tree, or as slow as they could with their new powers. Since the process was rather fast, the girls had no time to voice their concerns with this mission. It wasn't until they were only one bound away that Connie managed to work up the courage to tell Mabel about her anxiety.

"Uh, Mabel? Are you…sure about this?" Connie asked hesitantly before either of them could complete their journey.

Mabel instantly knew Connie's concerns with this mission, having felt about the same since it started. Despite her own reservations with killing the Morningstar Griffin, if she didn't, she'd never be able to prove her superiority to men…especially to her own grunkle. Besides, they'd come so far with their new mental powers, even though they were temporary without regular training, so abandoning their mission didn't make sense to her.

"Of course, I am, Connie." Mabel said reassuringly. "Now, let's do this!"

"Mabel, wait!" Connie yelled as she tugged on Mabel's arm before she could complete the last jump. "Look, I…I think that this was a bad idea. It was one thing with all that training, but this doesn't seem right."

"What do you mean?" Mabel asked in confusion.

"It's just…" the young girl let out a heavy sigh, unsure of how to word this. "This doesn't seem worth it. The only reason I allowed us to get this far was because I was still mad at Steven, but I've calmed down enough that I know this isn't right. We shouldn't kill another sentient creature just because it isn't getting along with the womanotaurs."

Mabel knew this was coming, but she stubbornly forced herself not to follow Connie's line of reasoning. "Okay, I know this looks bad, but come on!" Mabel stated dismissively. "This is totally worth it! Anything named the Morningstar Griffin is bad news! We'll be doing the forest a favor by getting rid of her."

"I don't think so, Mabel!" Connie harshly yelled as she turned away from her friend, unwilling to kill anything sentient. Connie then let out a long, remorseful sigh before she continued talking. "I think that Peridot was right. We shouldn't have run away like that and we should've talked to Steven and Prof. Pines about what we were feeling. You know it as well as I do; this is a defining moment for a person…and I think we should do the right thing."

"Oh, come on, Connie." Mabel said with a hint of exasperation. "The womanotaurs know how to be strong in the real way…which is probably the better way. Besides, didn't you want to do this because of Malachite?"

"Well…yeah." Connie admitted as she rubbed the back of her neck in embarrassment. But, now that the way of being stronger than Malachite was within her grasp, she refused to accept the cost. "It's just that doing something like this can change a person. If we do kill the Morningstar Griffin, how are we better than men? Just because we killed something that they couldn't?"

"So, what?" Mabel asked with a hint of trepidation, clearly on-edge and conflicted. "By doing this, we're better than men because it'll be done with the power of our minds. Not to mention that we'll finally get the respect we deserve."

"Okay…you've made your choice." Connie said with a rare seriousness as she started to hover lightly towards the end of the branch they'd been standing on. "I don't care what anyone else thinks of me. Not you, not the womanotaurs, not…Steven. I won't stop you from doing what you think you need to do, but remember what I said, okay?" Connie resignedly advised until she reached the end of the branch and hovered back down.

Mabel let out a small sigh, knowing that she was the only one willing to finish the job. However, they were unaware of two sets of eyes watching from a neighboring tree, which they only scaled thanks to Peridot being able to use her artificial fingers like a helicopter and Steven hanging on her back. They felt immense relief and pride for Connie, but they still harbored dread over Mabel's safety and morality.

Mabel took a deep breath as she telekinetically pushed herself towards the top. However, before she could reach the top of the nest, a mysterious winged figure intercepted her, which sent the young girl crashing through some of the branches. She managed to regain her footing and quickly levitated herself to safety on an intact branch. However, she came face-to-face with the creature that attacked her.

The Morningstar Griffin was a dead ringer for the myths Mabel read about when she was younger, but she understood the title when she saw the creature's color. It had golden, glittering wings on its back, blood-red lion's fur on its body with a matching tail, black talons, and a white bald eagle head.

"You have managed to invade my home, child?" the Morningstar Griffin asked in a deep, but clearly feminine, voice, much to Mabel's surprise.

"Yeah, that's right, you monster! I came here to bring back your head and give it to the womanotaurs!" Mabel yelled defiantly after composing herself.

"So that's how you scaled up so far without any of your human equipment. No matter; you will fall just like the others that have invaded my home…which includes the womanotaurs that failed." the Morningstar Griffin said tranquilly, before she let out a fierce screech and flew towards the young girl.

Mabel stood her ground as she telekinetically flew out of the way, which made the Morningstar Griffin reduce the branch she stood on to splinters. Mabel smirked as she then flew away from the creature, which did nothing to curtail the creature's anger as she flew towards Mabel. Mabel did her best to throw some tree branches towards the griffin to stop it, but she turned each one she sent to splinters. Eventually, their fight led them high in the sky, only one of them not willing to back down.

"Just leave this place and never return child. You don't understand why I'm protecting my home." the Morningstar Griffin bargained, only for Mabel to shoot her an angered scowl.

"It doesn't matter! This is the only way I can show my grunkle that I _**am**_ built for this! I'll bring your body to them if I have to!" Mabel yelled harshly as she catapulted herself into the Morningstar Griffin's torso, which audibly cracked some of her ribs.

However, the Morningstar Griffin managed to recover from that as she fiercely chomped into part of Mabel's armor, which made the young girl wince in pain. Mabel let out an angered roar as she suddenly broke free from her bite and started to relentlessly punch her face with some added telekinetic strength. As such, each impact dulled the Morningstar Griffin's senses until Mabel floated away mere moments before the creature hit her nest, torso-first. Before she could recover, Mabel flew towards her at comet-like speeds, her right fist charging with telekinetic energy the entire time.

"Take this, you monster!" Mabel yelled as she landed a fierce punch on the Morningstar Griffin's back, which shattered it almost instantly. The Morningstar Griffin was still alive as it let out a bloodcurdling screech that could likely be heard for miles. The creature groaned in pain as it looked at Mabel in disbelief as she calmly walked towards her.

"You…you broke my back." the Morningstar Griffin said in a strained voice, on the verge of passing out from her injuries.

"Oh, don't worry. You won't be feeling pain for long." Mabel said as she menacingly raised her fist, intent on finishing the job. However, just as she was about to land the fatal blow, her eyes wandered towards five, rather large, eggs. She stopped mere inches away and stared at them in disbelief.

"Don't touch them! They're my children!" the Morningstar Griffin begged as she cried in fear for her unborn babies.

"Wait, you're a mom?" Mabel asked, having assumed that the Morningstar Griffin was a ferocious beast that needed to be put down.

"Yes!" the Morningstar Griffin said hastily as she began to explain. "The womanotaurs despise me because they don't think that females of any species should raise children of both genders. They hate me the most because I'm the only one who has won a fight with any of them, which is why it's become tradition for the newer generations to kill me. Since they never did, and they live long lives, only the council members have unlocked the power of telepathy since they did so before they knew of me."

"Wow. I mean, I knew that the womanotaurs were intense, but…this?" Mabel said in disbelief as she turned towards her, now knowing how far the womanotaur's hatred of men went.

"I understand how you could've been fooled, child. The womanotaurs may act like they're better than men, especially the manotaurs, but they aren't. They have just as many violent impulses as their male counterparts." the creature said in understanding as Mabel held one of her talons in concern.

"Oh, Moses…what have I done?" Mabel said guiltily, on the verge of tears.

"Do not be sad, child. You were merely seduced by their false philosophy. My body will heal in a few hours…unless you feel obligated to finish me." the Morningstar Griffin said sincerely, knowing that she was in no shape to resist if Mabel went through with it.

Mabel stared at the broken Morningstar Griffin in guilt, now knowing that the creature was only defending her children, regardless of gender. Even though the creature would heal with time, Mabel only went so far out of unresolved anger towards her grunkle. She stared at her hands in remorse before she glanced again at her, knowing the full ramifications of her choice. Mabel sighed deeply before she came to her decision.

 **Womanotaur Cave 6:04 PM**

"You children failed?!" Goddesstaur yelled in incredulous anger upon their return to the cave, which was matched by the council's scornful looks, including Karen. "You were told! The price of female superiority was the Morningstar Griffin's head!"

Unbeknownst to the womanotaurs, the girls had shared a genuine heart-to-heart after Mabel returned without killing the Morningstar Griffin, much to Connie's relief. Mabel and Connie shared a comforting glance at each other, having known exactly what to say when this happened.

"The cost was too high!" Connie yelled defiantly, which made the entire room gasp in shock.

"I talked to the Morningstar Griffin. You seriously wanted her dead just because she'd been raising kids of both genders and took down the womanotaurs that came after her?!" Mabel harshly asked.

"You don't understand what our pride means to us, child!" Erica yelled venomously.

"By our own losing to her, a creature that defiles our superior parenting, what choice did we have?!" Farrah asked incredulously.

"We were fortunate enough to unlock our power before we knew of her, but until she is dead, no other womanotaur is worthy!" Aya yelled haughtily.

"And it's because of that worthiness that we never dealt with her ourselves. We had hoped that you two would finish the job, but you failed…just like I knew you would." Winona said condescendingly.

"I expected so much better from you two. I thought that you could do what needed to be done." Karen said in harsh disappointment.

"So, what do you wish to say, children?" Goddesstaur asked in thinly-veiled contempt.

"We're saying that the Morningstar Griffin is a really nice magical lady, and you shouldn't condemn her over such petty reasons." Mabel said boldly.

"Yeah, she's done nothing wrong! She deserves to live her life just as much as you guys do!" Connie added in agreement.

"You speak blasphemy, children!" Goddesstaur yelled, refusing to listen to their reasons any longer. "Kill the Morningstar Griffin or never prove your superiority to men!"

Mabel and Connie shared a hardened glance, not even needing to consider their choice, regardless of the consequences. "Then I guess we'll never be superior to men." Mabel said with finality, with Connie nodding in agreement.

Expectantly, the womanotaurs didn't take it well as before they left, they were levitated by Karen, who had an angered expression on her face as she communicated with them for the last time.

 _{You are banished from this cave. I should've known; you're no better than stupid men.}_ Karen telepathically said in disappointment as she levitated them to the mouth of the cave and harshly dropped them at the entrance, which was instantly sealed by them pulling enough rock from the ground.

Except for Karen's last conversation, none of what the girls went through went unheard by Steven and Peridot. Their hearts swelled with pride and relief, knowing that the two had made the right choice and were safe. After sharing a silent nod, they hid themselves for one last time, ready to reveal themselves to congratulate the duo.

"Wow, that could've ended really badly." Mabel said with a relieved smile as she and Connie sat together in front of the former entrance.

"Amen to that. At least we get to keep the uniforms, and we did the right thing." Connie said encouragingly as she warmly hugged Mabel, but she formed an uncomfortable grimace almost instantly.

"Okay, you can hug me for five more seconds." Mabel said uncomfortably as she silently counted out the seconds. When she was finished, she gently tapped on Connie's back, which signaled the young girl to stop.

"You don't mind it when its Dipper." Connie said, confused.

"I'm used to _**his**_ hugs, but…you're getting there." Mabel admitted with a small smile, which then briefly fell when she stared at the setting sun. "So, that's it then. All that hard work and barely anything to show for it."

"Oh, I wouldn't say that." Peridot said as she and Steven walked towards them from the trees, much to Mabel and Connie's shock.

"Whoa, Peridot? Steven?" Mabel asked, somewhat surprised.

"What are you guys doing here?" Connie added, gathering that since Lapis or Jasper wasn't with them, Malachite had failed to return, though she briefly turned away when she saw Steven.

"We were a bit concerned when you ran off to train with those misandrist womanotaurs, so we tagged along on your adventure and you didn't even know it." Peridot revealed as she awkwardly popped Steven's protective bubble on his head.

"I'm just glad that we had nothing to worry about, though I was tempted to intervene…several times." Steven admitted sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Wait, so you've been following us all day?" Mabel asked with a disconcerted frown, though Connie was hardly concerned with the invasion of privacy as she warmly embraced Steven, tears in her eyes.

"I'm so, so, sorry Steven! I shouldn't have run off like that!" Connie said apologetically.

"It's o-o-okay, Connie." Steven said nervously as he formed a warm blush. He soon managed to regain his composure and said, "I'm not the best with words, but you should know that I didn't say all that stuff because you're a girl."

"Well, I'm not planning on running away, again. So, why did you?" Connie asked as she composed herself.

"I only said those things because I…care about you." Steven said sincerely, which made Connie smile warmly.

"Still, I owe both of you an extra apology for running off after talking." Connie said to Steven and Peridot, but neither of them felt it was necessary.

"It's alright, Connie. It was mostly my fault for not seeing how Malachite really affected you." Peridot admitted with a slightly embarrassed blush.

"And I shouldn't have gone off the deep end like that. I was just worried about you, but you have nothing to prove to me." Steven added, which made Connie give him a small peck on the cheek.

"You're very sweet, Steven. Thank you." Connie said with a small blush, with Steven giving a small, goofy smile in response.

"Well, I'm just glad that the two of you learned from this experience." Peridot said proudly, only to lightly grumble to herself, "If only a certain, rogue fusion could learn that too…"

Serendipitously, the ground began to rumble softly, birds and other flying forest creatures clearing out of the forest to the east as an enraged shout echoed through the area. Confused, the quartet decided to find out the cause, so they found a better vantage point on a nearby bluff as they watched the towering, enraged creature approach them.

"What the nuts is that?!" Mabel yelled fearfully, unaware that Connie, Peridot, and Steven instantly recognized the figure.

"It's Malachite!" Steven and Connie exclaimed simultaneously.

Malachite let out an enraged roar that rattled the entire forest, her arms easily snapping the trees like twigs as she walked. She soon spotted the quartet with one of her four eyes as each of her multiple fists clenched in anger. "I'm bored!" Malachite yelled angrily as she turned to face them.

"Oh, you've uh…come back! Did you lose weight?" Peridot fearfully asked as she instinctively motioned the kids to stand behind her.

"No, but that doesn't matter! You left me behind!" Malachite harshly stated, her menacing figure towering over them all, even with the added elevation of the cliff.

"We just uh…thought you didn't need any help!" Peridot said hastily, attempting to reason with her. "Now, why don't you two just separate and we can…?"

"No!" Malachite shouted, abruptly interrupting Peridot as she lunged one of her four fists at the quartet, which they were barely able to dodge.

"Listen to me!" Peridot said sternly as she glared at Malachite. "Don't you remember what happened the last time you were fused for this long? You're losing yourselves!"

"I _**am**_ myself and I'm sick of being split up!" Malachite yelled stubbornly as all four of her eyes glared at Peridot menacingly. "So, get used to me, baby! I'm no one's soldier, now!"

With another roar, Malachite summoned her crash helmet and slammed it against the bluff, breaking off huge chunks of it as Peridot, Steve, Mabel, and Connie drew back a bit to escape her wrath.

" _ **That's**_ what Lapis and Jasper are like when they're fused?!" Mabel asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, but this isn't making sense!" Connie exclaimed in a panic. "Why is she _**trying**_ to hurt us?"

"That doesn't matter!" Peridot shouted, unable to get into the intricacies of fusion right now. "You three need to get out of here!"

"But, Mabel and I have telekinetic powers! We can help!" Connie insisted as she and Mabel demonstrated them by lunging two large trees towards Malachite. However, the fusion merely intercepted them with her multiple hands and broke the trees like twigs, much to their shock.

"Okay, running it is!" Mabel admitted as she, Connie, and Steven ducked for safety while Peridot took matters into her own hands.

Peridot utilized her artificial fingers to make it to the top of the bluff and then to arrange themselves to make a laser blast when she landed. The green Gem stood in defiance as she aimed it at the large fusion, much to Malachite's disbelief.

"What the? Is this a joke?!" Malachite asked furiously, apparently insulted. "You think that you have what it takes to beat me?!"

"That doesn't matter! I won't let you do this anymore!" Peridot exclaimed as she finished charging up her laser blast before she let it fly, hitting Malachite in one of her top eyes. However, that did nothing to impede the gargantuan fusion as she threw a punch with one of her fists that sent Peridot flying into a nearby boulder. Peridot yelled in pain, only to stare at her defiantly as she let loose several weaker blasts at Malachite's eyes, but they were only a minor annoyance for the fusion.

The kids managed to watch the display from safety towards the edge of the cliff, but they knew that Peridot was fighting a losing battle. True to their fears, Malachite merely summoned her crash helmet again, which also managed to shield her eyes from Peridot's assault. Peridot gulped in anxiety as Malachite haughtily began to laugh.

"You think that you're worth anything?!" Malachite yelled mockingly as she grabbed the green Gem with one of her arms. She then fiercely squeezed her before tossing her in the air like a rag doll. "You've always been nothing!" Malachite bellowed as she continued her effortless assault on Peridot; catching and crushing her in one of her hands, and then throwing her back up to repeat the process. Eventually, she grew bored with this and slammed Peridot back-first into the peak of the bluff, which was miraculously standing, albeit with several cracks.

Peridot was briefly unconscious when she impacted the bluff, but her gem was thankfully undamaged, which was why she was still alive after a beating like that. She was however, intensely injured, alongside her limb enhancers. While she was barely moving, she doubted that she stood any chance against Malachite, especially when she drained some water from a section of trees and formed it into a ball.

"Peridot!" Steven and the girls yelled in concern, which reached the green Gem as she struggled to get up from her injuries. After stumbling for a few moments, she managed to get on her artificial knees and barely lifted her head to fully see Malachite. Peridot let out a morose chuckle as she formed tears in her eyes, knowing that she couldn't save them like Rose did all those years ago.

"Lapis…Jasper…I'm so sorry." Peridot muttered to herself as she allowed her tears to fall, knowing that she'd been doomed from the start. "I wasn't strong enough…to save you. I was never strong enough to do anything." Peridot formed a dark smile on her face as she fully succumbed to her injuries and fell flat on her face, much to the shock of the kids.

Before the kids could react further to Peridot's defeat, Malachite harshly stared at all three of them. Dread instantly filled the kids as Malachite's sadistic smile grew and she approached them menacingly.

"You know, you kids have been a thorn in my side for too long!" Malachite bellowed as she threw her water sphere at the trio, but it only encapsulated the girls and threw them into the forest, oddly leaving Steven unharmed. Malachite passed over him as she instead attacked the girls.

"Oh, this is bad! This is very bad!" Mabel vocalized as she and Connie did their best to escape from their watery prison, with it only rippling from their shared telekinetic powers.

"You won't be able to break free of that. Neither of you are strong enough, physically or mentally!" Malachite boasted as she effortlessly removed them from the prison, only to split the water into all four of her hands before turning them into large ice spears. Malachite darkly chuckled as she summoned a set of wings from her back and flew high into the sky, ready to strike.

However, the girls weren't ready to go down without a fight as they telekinetically chucked several large objects at the fusion, even if they wouldn't do much good. As expected, the assault did nothing to impede her attack and only seemed to exhilarate her more.

"Game over, girls!" Malachite furiously yelled as the four ice spears combined to make a large ice javelin. Malachite unremorsefully threw it at the girls, knowing that they couldn't get out of the way or deflect it in time. Mabel and Connie yelled in fear of their impending death, only for their eyes to widen when they saw Steven get in front of them mere moments before the javelin hit.

Upon impact, a large cloud of ice burst throughout the forest, coating it all as if it were a snowing. When the cloud dispersed, Mabel and Connie were relatively unharmed, only having splitting headaches. However, they gasped in shock when they saw that they were encapsulated within Steven's bubble, with Steven himself standing in front of them. Before either of them could vocalize their gratitude for the boy, Steven unceremoniously collapsed, which made the bubble burst a few moments later.

Mabel and Connie rushed over to him just as Malachite descended, thinking that she'd killed the girls. The girls did their best to reawaken the boy, but he was unresponsive, with them soon gasping at the sight of his broken left arm. Connie felt tears in her eyes as Mabel just stared at his unresponsive body in shock.

"Oh, God. Please, not him." Connie begged as she covered her mouth with her right hand.

"Steven…you can't be…" Mabel muttered, shocked by this turn of events.

"Well, it looks like that I…" Malachite said haughtily, only for her expression to turn fearful when she saw Steven's unresponsive body. "What the? Steven?" Malachite asked in disbelief.

"You did this!" Connie yelled venomously as she stared at the giant fusion, not caring that she was still crying. "You attacked us, you monster! Steven took that javelin for us because he wanted to protect us, and now look at him!" Connie finished as she buried her hands in her face, crying immensely.

"No, I-I-I wasn't trying to…" Malachite said remorsefully as she felt tears well up in her eyes.

"Well, you did!" Mabel added furiously, now crying as her face turned red. "You were trying to kill us and Peridot! Now, look at what you've done! Look at it! Look at it! Why won't you look at it?!" Mabel tearfully begged as she fell to her knees.

"Steven…no. I can't…I didn't mean to…" Malachite said as she started to hyperventilate from what she'd done to Steven.

"What do you care?! Just send us with Steven if you want!" Connie demanded as she clutched Steven's unresponsive body. "Do what all monsters do!"

Malachite's hyperventilating had gotten worse to the point that she was clutching her chest, unable to process what she'd inadvertently done to Steven. Even though she was trying to kill the girls, instead, she'd accidentally killed Steven, a boy that meant the world to both halves of her. Malachite stared blankly as she trembled with guilt and after a few moments, she exploded in a large puff of dark green smoke, with Lapis now frantically flying towards the trio while carrying Jasper, both unashamedly crying.

When Lapis landed in front of them, Mabel and Connie ferociously attacked the duo, unwilling to forgive what they'd done to Steven. While Jasper or Lapis could've easily fended them off, neither made such an attempt as they took their punches and stared at Steven's unresponsive body. They both had an unequal remorseful expression as they stared at Steven, eventually falling to their knees in guilt.

As they lowered their heads in utter sadness, and Mabel and Connie continued their one-sided assault, neither of them noticed Steven's eyes fluttering open. The young Gem soon broke out into a coughing fit, which stirred the two Gems and girls to his presence. When he managed to lift his upper body to see them, he noticed that they were all crying with shocked expressions on their faces.

"Uh, why are you looking at me like that?" Steven asked, confused. However, it didn't last long as the quartet instantly hugged him, only to back off when Steven cried out in pain from his broken arm.

"Oh, sorry Steven! I'm just glad that you're alive!" Connie said apologetically with a jubilant expression.

"Sweet Moses, you scared us, Steven!" Mabel lightly joked as she rubbed the tears from her eyes.

"We're so sorry, Steven! It's just…I can't….!" Lapis said, too overwhelmed by the fact that Steven was alive.

"Little cub, Peridot was right! We should've been the ones to fuse, not me and Lapis!" Jasper yelled remorsefully, knowing that she and Lapis shared the blame on his injuries.

"Guys, there's nothing to feel sorry about. I know that it was Malachite in the driver's seat, not you and Lapis." Steven said reassuringly, which made the two Gems sigh in relief, unaware that Peridot had awakened from the javelin impact and had slowly traveled with her damaged artificial fingers until she was right behind them.

"Guys, remember me? The Gem you beat into the ground?" Peridot asked venomously, but that faded to relief when she saw that Steven and the girls were alive.

"Peridot! Uh, how much did you hear?" Jasper asked nervously.

"Enough, but Steven and the girls are alive, which is all that matters." Peridot said with a smile, which soon turned into a scowl. "However, the two of you muscle-headed clods are going to help fix my limb enhancers and take care of Steven! Not to mention apologize to the girls!"

Jasper and Lapis shared nervous expressions as they stared at the girls, unsure of what to say or what their reaction would be. While Steven understood that Malachite was out of control, the girls had attacked them as individuals when they got the chance, but that was only because Steven was supposedly killed. They each took a deep breath, but before they could apologize, Connie and Mabel raised their hands to stop them.

"It's okay. We don't need an apology." Mabel said placatingly.

"As angered as we were, that was only because of Steven." Connie added, only to shoot them a venomous glare. "But, if you turn into that monster again and lose control, I will find some way to bring you down."

"Double for me." Mabel said in agreement.

"Fair enough." Lapis and Jasper said simultaneously, but with despondent expressions.

"Come on, we should go home. Steven, get Ford to look at that arm, okay?" Jasper gently requested, with Steven nodding in agreement as the trio left without another word.

"Uh, think that you guys could…?" Steven asked as he pointed to his broken arm.

"Oh, of course, Steven!" Connie said cheerfully.

"A bit insulted that you had to ask!" Mabel added as she and Connie telekinetically set his arm like a cast and walked with him towards the shack, each having a smile on their face.

 **Greasy's Diner 6:23 PM**

Dipper, Buck, and Sour Cream had arrived at the diner and found an indifferent Jenny drinking a strawberry milkshake, her favorite after she ended a bad date. Dipper and Buck silently nudged Sour Cream to talk to her, but he hardly needed convincing for this moment. He sat next to Jenny, with the teenaged girl briefly acknowledging his presence.

"Took you long enough, but where's Buck?" Jenny asked nonchalantly, noticing that he wasn't taking his usual seat.

"Jenny, I need to tell you something." Sour Cream said anxiously as he stared deeply into her eyes.

"Of course, we're best friends. You can tell me anything." Jenny stated, somewhat concerned with his new behavior.

"I know. That's what's made this so hard to say." Sour Cream admitted as he took in a deep breath and said, "Jenny, I like you."

"Oh, thanks! I like you too, Sour Cream." Jenny said obliviously, thinking that he meant it platonically.

"No, you're not hearing me. I've been working up the courage to tell you this for a long time, and I know that it's crazy that I've waited so long, but damn it, I just can't go on without telling you!" Sour Cream stated anxiously, much to Jenny's surprise as her eyes widened.

"SC, what's going on?" Jenny asked in confusion.

"Jenny, I know that we've been friends forever, but I need to tell you that…" Sour Cream trailed off as he gently cupped her hands, which made the girl blush lightly.

"Oh, God, what's going on?" Jenny asked in disbelief.

"I want us to be more than friends." Sour Cream finished as he let go of her hands. Jenny's mouth was open in shock, much to Sour Cream's apprehension.

"Ugh, I knew this was a bad idea!" Sour Cream chastised himself as he clutched the sides of his head. "You totally hate me now, don't…?"

Sour Cream's sentence remained unfinished as Jenny gave him a passionate kiss on the lips, much to his shock and bliss. After a few moments, Sour Cream reciprocated, much to Jenny's pleasure as she blushed heavily from their kiss. Soon enough, their lungs begged for air, so they reluctantly ended the kiss, each with a blissful smile and blush on their faces.

"Not that I'm complaining, but I thought that was going in another direction." Sour Cream said breathlessly.

"Unless you know that I kind of…liked you too." Jenny revealed as she formed a sheepish expression.

"But all those other guys…?"

"I was trying to distract myself and I thought that you weren't interested, which is why I kept on saying that you were just a friend to me." Jenny admitted as she lightly hung her head in shame. "In retrospect, you were being overt with how you felt about me."

"That doesn't matter. All that does matter is that we have plenty of time to make up the years." Sour Cream said sincerely as they once again kissed, with Dipper and Buck having looked at it in approval.

"Oh, yeah! We did it!" Dipper yelled ecstatically as he and Buck shared a high-five, which made the teenaged boy wince in pain.

"Whew, you've got one heck of an arm, kid!" Buck admitted as he rubbed his sore palm.

"Sorry, I high-five hard." Dipper said apologetically, only to glance out the window and see his sister, Connie, and Steven walk past them, on their way to the shack. He soon ran outside to greet them, but not before he waved goodbye to Buck.

"Dipper, where've you been?" Mabel asked in confusion.

"Oh, I was helping Sour Cream get together with Jenny, and it worked!" Dipper said proudly as he pointed to the smooching teens inside, which amused the girls and Steven.

"Way to go, Dipper!" Steven said in encouragement.

"No problem…" Dipper trailed off as he finally noticed that Steven's arm was in a telekinetic sling, with Mabel and Connie suppressing guilty laughs at his surprise.

"Dipper, why are you looking at me like that?" Steven asked obliviously.

"Steven, what happened to your arm and why is it floating in mid-air like that?" Dipper asked in amazement.

"Oh, it's no big deal. You see…"

"It's not important! Let's get to the shack!" Mabel exclaimed, intent on teasing her brother by refusing to answer.

"Totally! Let's go!" Connie added, wanting in on the fun.

Dipper followed the trio with a puzzled expression on his face, all the while thinking, "What did I miss out on?"

 **Ford's House (Rooftop) 9:38 PM**

Since Ford had a medical license and the proper equipment laying around the house, he managed to properly tend to Steven's injuries, with the happy diagnosis of Steven fully healing within a few days, likely due to his Gem-half. While it would've been better for him to have gone to a hospital, the risk of revealing his Gem-half to the world was too high. After sending him home with a clean bill of health, and with Connie escorting him with the promise of contacting her parents for a ride later, Mabel stared up at the night sky, the memories of today flooding her mind.

While Steven would've been okay, the only reason they were even in the forest was because of her and Connie. Granted, Connie had managed to come to terms with her role in the day, and Steven felt no anger towards either of them, she couldn't help but feel guilty. If she'd just talked to Ford like Connie did with Steven, none of this would've happened. As such, she clutched her knees as she sat on the rooftop, only to hear Ford come in through the roof's hatch.

"Hey, Mabel. I know that things got a bit…hectic today for you." Ford said hesitantly as he approached Mabel with two cans of Pitt Cola that he stored inside his jacket. He offered her one, but she seemed too depressed to drink it.

"Grunkle Ford, you were right." Mabel stated despondently, much to Ford's confusion.

"Wait, what are you talking about?" Ford asked curiously.

"About what you said at the diner today. After seeing Steven like that, you were right. We aren't built for this." Mabel tearfully admitted as she buried her face in her knees.

Suddenly, Ford put the colas back in his jacket and warmly embraced Mabel, much to her surprise. However, nothing could've prepared her for what Ford said next.

"I'm built for all kinds of things, but you're built for extraordinary things." Ford sincerely stated, with Mabel unaware that she was crying as she returned her grunkle's embrace, the two remaining like that in silence for a few moments as two comets soared in the night sky.

 **AN: Well, this is without a doubt the longest chapter I've written for this or any of my stories. And it just makes me eager to make more! It's still an honor and pleasure to do this Minijen, and I'll continue to do my best with this.**

 **So, rate, review, and I'll be back with the next chapter as soon as I can.**

 **Next time—Chapter 6: Magic and Mystery (Part 1)**


	6. Magic and Mystery (Part 1)

**AN: Hello, everyone! I would like to thank you all for your support in Momswap Rises and am truly grateful for its quality.**

 **Now, the adventure continues!**

Momswap Rises

Chapter 6: Magic and Mystery (Part 1)

 **Crystal Temple (Steven's Room) 3:23 PM**

"… _I swear to love you, a thousand times in a thousand stars."_

" _Oh, Captain Tamashi Grissom, I have longed to hear those words since you saved my life all those years ago."_

" _Arila, no matter what happens against the Weepers, know that I am yours."_

" _You will always be mine, Tamashi. Our hearts are intertwined as one. No Weeper forces, no sea of stars will ever separate us again."_

Upon the conclusion of the third _Weight of the Stars_ movie on Steven's TV, Steven and Mabel cheered wildly at its conclusion, much to Dipper and Connie's confusion as they hadn't enjoyed it as much as they did.

"Oh, man! That was even better the second time!" Mabel yelled in excitement.

"I know! When Captain Grissom took down that entire army just to save Arila in the third act…"

"And when he finally got to punch that smug Rasen in his cybernetic, Jarutian face…"

"That was so epic!" Steven finished as he and Mabel gently laid together in his bed, each with a smile on their faces. "Ah, I love this franchise."

"Okay, are the two of you finally out of "nerd mode"?" Connie playfully asked, with Steven and Mabel cheerfully nodding in agreement.

"That's good. I don't think I take more of this sci-fi schlock." Dipper responded, which made Steven and Mabel gasp incredulously.

"It's not schlock! It's art!" Mabel lightly protested.

"Yeah, and it's got a rich backstory full of interesting characters." Steven added.

"No offense, but it's just not mine or Connie's thing." Dipper said with rare apathy.

"Even so, it was great for you to invite us over, Steven." Connie said sincerely She then formed a quizzical expression and asked, "How come we haven't done this before?"

"Well, things have been pretty crazy." Steven said bluntly, remembering what they'd been through together. "I mean, we've faced robotic lake monsters, insane crocodile people, haunted schools, and powerful fusions. I guess it was hard to find the time to schedule something like this."

"Uh, I was only there for half of that stuff, Steven." Connie mentioned as she lightly blushed in embarrassment.

"Oh, yeah. I guess that you haven't been through everything that me, Mabel, and Dipper have." Steven replied as he rubbed the back of his head in nervousness.

"Well, I'm just glad that we've come out of it all virtually unscathed. It's nice to just sit back, relax, and be average kids for once." Dipper said chipperly.

"I'm with you on that, Dip. Of course, one of the best things that's ever happened to me came out of our adventures here." Mabel admitted as she telekinetically opened the fridge and levitated a can of Pitt Cola into her left hand before shutting the door.

"I am so jealous that you and Connie can do that, now." Dipper said with a good-natured smile.

"Actually, it's just Mabel. Based on what they told us, the telekinetic abilities eventually wear off if you don't continue with the training and if you haven't received telepathic abilities." Connie explained as she rubbed her temples. "I've been through enough of that. Now, I'm just like everyone else again."

"Well, no offense, but I plan on keeping mine." Mabel stated with a determined expression as she took a quick swig from her soda. "After all, now I'm like Captain Amila, the telekinetic human rival of Captain Grissom."

"I know. Hey, maybe you could take on an army single-handedly like she did in the opening of the second novel." Steven said in amazement.

Dipper and Connie rolled their eyes in playfulness as Steven and Mabel continued fawning over their favorite sci-fi franchise, not understanding why they loved it so much. Thankfully, before it could go on for too much longer, a bright flash of light from the warp pad in front of the temple door caught their attention.

"Wow…" Dipper, Mabel, and Connie whispered in awed unison as the light intensified, though Steven merely smiled slightly. After all, this was a familiar sight for him.

The Crystal Gems materialized above the warp pad, all looking satisfied with their latest victory. Peridot and Lapis grinned broadly while Jasper sent away a bubbled gem in her hands. However, Lapis and Jasper formed an awkward expression when they saw Mabel and Connie.

"Hi, guys!" Steven greeted brightly as he and Mabel took the stairs down to the main floor. Conversely, Dipper and Connie took the sillier approach and leapt off the loft, landing on the soft couch below.

"Oh, greetings, children." Peridot said amicably as she waved to them with her newly-repaired artificial fingers.

"Well, it looks like the gang's all here." Lapis said as she let out a nervous laugh towards Mabel and Connie.

"Yeah, uh…how are you guys enjoying the place?" Jasper asked hesitantly, though it was mostly towards the two girls.

"It's awesome!" Dipper innocently exclaimed with a smile.

"Yeah, it is." Mabel chimed in, only to form a sympathetic expression when she saw Lapis and Jasper's faces. "Look, things don't have to be awkward between us. I thought that we moved past this."

"I'm with Mabel. What happened a few days ago wasn't exactly your fault; either of you." Connie added with a similar expression.

"Well, it was still pretty bad." Lapis admitted as she rubbed her arm in guilt.

"And we should've known better. Just know that we're sorry." Jasper added with a saddened expression.

"Hey, even though you didn't need to say it, apology accepted, okay?" Connie admitted with Mabel nodding her head in agreement, which made Lapis and Jasper form small smiles.

"Now, with that out of the way, can I ask you something?" Mabel asked with a curious expression.

"Sure, what do you want to know?" Jasper asked as she and Lapis full composed themselves.

"What's in there?" Mabel asked, pointing towards the temple gate and the four gemstones resting on a point of the star symbol emblazoned upon it. She would've asked Steven about it, but she knew that she would get a better answer from the Gems themselves.

"Oh, that's just the temple." Lapis said casually, unaware of Peridot and Jasper's uneasy expressions.

"Wait, I thought that we were already in the temple." Mabel said in confusion.

"No, we're basically in the lobby of the temple." Steven clarified, having known that the real temple was behind that door, even though he'd never gone inside of it.

"Yes, exactly!" Peridot interjected quickly as she cleared her throat to carefully explain the concept. "You see, the temple serves as our base, with Jasper, Lapis, and myself residing inside. Steven has his own room out here with basic human amenities, at least until he can use his gem properly."

"Yeah, and I've been trying." Steven said with a small half-frown. He then looked towards Peridot and asked, "Will I be able to go in there, like you and the others?"

"One day, Steven." Jasper interjected with a sincere expression, cutting off the green Gem's explanation.

"Whoa! I bet that there's a bunch of cool stuff in there, too!" Dipper exclaimed in excitement.

"Yeah, and it could be anything!" Connie added with equal fervor as she and Dipper took a step towards the door. "Do you mind if we look?"

All three Gems exchanged an uneasy glance at this, but as usual, their leader vocalized their concerns. "That's not…the best idea, Sunshine." Jasper said as she sidestepped to block the kids' path.

"Wait, why can't we?" Mabel asked suspiciously, which was something that Dipper and Connie agreed with.

"It's just that the temple is…dangerous." Peridot explained, though with no intentions to reveal why. "Especially for…humans."

"Yeah, you'd get yourselves killed." Lapis bluntly said as she discretely moved towards Jasper.

"Lapis, that was _**not**_ appropriate!" Peridot scolded, knowing that was uncalled for. "But, yes. The temple's just no place for humans. We're sorry, but we don't want any of you to get hurt"

"Hey, look on the bright side!" Lapis encouraged with a new, upbeat grin, knowing that the three kids needed cheering up. "You can always hang out here with Steven and his adorable nerd stuff!"

"Yeah, you guys are w-w-welcome here anytime!" Steven said in nervous reassurance.

"Thanks, Steven." Mabel said with a small smile, her inner curiosity about the temple gate still eating away at her. Still, she decided not to pester the Gems about it for now, certain that they wouldn't give her a straight answer.

"Well, in any case, we need to do our weekly check over the town." Jasper said to Lapis and Peridot, nodding towards the front door.

"Oh, yeah." Steven said with familiarity, only for him to form a caustic expression. "Hey, is it…okay if me and my friends can tag along?"

"We'd…love to, Steven." Peridot said hesitantly with a hint of sincerity. "It's just that's probably not the best idea, right now. You four have survived several of Gravity Falls' creatures, but we might run into something that surpasses them."

"Oh, okay." Steven said in acceptance, unwilling to press the issue. He then formed a hopeful smile and asked, "See you later, then?"

"Always, Little Cub. Always." Jasper affirmed with a sincere smile as she led the way out of the house.

"Just try not to get into trouble this time, okay kids?" Lapis said playfully as the Gems headed out, leaving the kids alone again.

Since Steven understood why the Gems had to take off, and Dipper and Connie caught on quickly, they shrugged in acceptance. However, Mabel was nowhere near as complacent as she formed a suspicious expression.

"Hey, what's wrong, sis?" Dipper asked his sister with a cheerful smile, noticing her expression. He playfully poked her arm to cheer her up, but the young girl was in no mood and carefully grabbed her brother's hand to make him stop.

"It's so weird. They didn't answer my question." Mabel muttered as she bitterly stared at the temple door.

"Hey, y-y-you shouldn't worry about it, Mabel." Steven said reassuringly. "That's just how they are when it comes to Gem stuff, aside from monsters."

"Even so, what could be so dangerous that we can't even look inside?" Mabel asked as she narrowed her eyes at the door.

"Ooh, what if it has a desert that goes on for eternity?!" Connie theorized cheerfully. "Or maybe it's a room with a large water temple surrounded by an ocean with water floating in the night sky, instead of stars?"

"Or maybe it's a futuristic room with a bunch of super-advanced computers and other technology?" Dipper chimed in with equal fervor.

As Dipper and Connie continued their ramblings on what could be inside the temple, Mabel let out an agitated sigh as she leaned against the doorframe.

"Why do the Gems have to be so mysterious?" Mabel asked bitterly.

"No, they're not...mysterious." Steven said with a frown, now confused even as he said that. He was never suspicious of his guardians and he knew that they loved him unconditionally. Still, Mabel's actions made him realize how little he knew about them, aside from the obvious aspects of them. He knew how smart and calculating Peridot was, how much Lapis acted like a rebellious child most of the time, and how brave and strong Jasper was. As such, he had no knowledge on their origins, how they came to live in Gravity Falls, or even anything about his deceased mother. Steven ran his left hand through his hair in anxiousness, unsure of why they'd gone to such lengths to prevent him from learning any knowledge of their personal lives.

"I just wish that they were honest with us." Mabel said, largely to herself as she glanced down sourly. Mabel's curiosity didn't stem from distrust towards the Gems; after all, they'd protected the town from so many monsters, not unlike hers and Steven's favorite sci-fi hero, Captain Grissom. It came more so out of her own innate curiosity, especially when it came to something as unusual as the Gems. Granted, despite their own and Steven's explanation that they were "magical beings", Mabel refused to accept that. While she'd seen strange and dangerous creatures since arriving in town, she knew that there had to be some scientific explanation for it all…including the Gems. She wished that she could've gotten even the tiniest glimpse at the interior of the Gem Temple to answer her questions, but the winter was still young. Hopefully, she'd soon learn what they were hiding so she'd understand what was, in her opinion, the most interesting thing about Gravity Falls.

After a small period of silence, Dipper and Connie practically felt the bothered puzzlement that Mabel and Steven shared. Dipper and Connie exchanged meaningful looks, both intent on cheering them up somehow. However, before either of them could open their mouths, they all heard a heavy crash coming from outside.

"What the nuts was that?!" Mabel incredulously asked, having fallen on her rear from the shockwaves.

All three of them were prepared to say that they didn't know, but they'd heard a familiar commotion from outside. "Let's ask the Gems!" Steven declared as he quickly took initiative and ran out of the house as Dipper, Mabel, and Connie followed.

When they emerged into the brisk air of winter, they noticed that the world was bathed in a faint shade of red. It resembled the colors they'd known from sunsets, but it didn't make any sense since that would happen much later in the day. They then spotted the Gems, who'd been interrupted from their weekly patrol as they stood clustered at the base of the path that led towards Ford's house. All three of them looked towards the sky, their necks craning as they worriedly gazed upwards at what the kids assumed was the sun, though they were quickly proven wrong as they took their own glances from the porch.

Their jaws dropped in shock as they saw the strange, crimson orb hanging in the sky, countless miles from the earth, but still plainly visible. In its current position, it resembled the size of a full moon, with a faint glow surrounding it as it hovered in the yellowing sky. While it seemed stationary, as the kids continued staring at it, something became terrifyingly clear; it was moving.

"Whoa, what is that thing?" Dipper whispered in amazement.

"It looks really pretty." Connie said with admiration.

"Whatever it is, I'm getting a really bad feeling from it." Mabel stated with an anxious expression.

"I'm with you on that, Mabel." Steven said in agreement as he formed a contemplative expression. "Maybe the Gems know what it is."

They went down the hill in an unspoken and unanimous agreement to ask the Gems about this unknown object. While Mabel vocalized her feelings first, the remaining three kids shared them, but kept it to themselves for now. Their suspicions were soon confirmed as they involuntarily eavesdropped on the Gems conversing as they approached them.

"This is not a good day, guys." Jasper said stoically, but with a hint of nervousness.

"How'd one of these things even find us?" Lapis asked, glaring at the familiar orb in anger.

"Another story for another day; we have bigger problems." Peridot said gravely as she summoned her holographic screen and hastily did calculations. "I don't know how much time we have, but there's no way we can evacuate ourselves and the entire town in time! It's way too big for even fusion to take it out!"

The Gems hadn't noticed the kids' arrival as they waited behind them patiently, exchanging nervous glances from their conversation. Given the severity of the situation, Steven managed to speak up first. "Um…w-w-what's going on?"

All three Gems spun around, startled, as they looked at the kids with wide, anxious eyes. "Oh, kids!" Peridot exclaimed with a nervous, fake laugh as she tried to make light of the situation. "What are you four doing here?"

They ignored the question as Mabel came forward with her more pressing and obvious question. "What is that?" Mabel asked, nodding towards the orb in the sky.

"Is there any way we can see?" Connie interjected before any of them could answer. Peridot sighed in reluctance as she pulled out a telescope from her gem and handed it to Connie. As Connie gazed through the telescope towards the sky, she realized that the orb in the sky resembled an eye. Its iris was long and hexagonal, surrounded by a pupil that resembled a camera shutter. The orb itself seemed to be metallic, further proving that whatever it was, it didn't come from Earth. "Wow…" the young girl trailed off as she handed the telescope to Dipper so that he could get a better look. Dipper then formed a cheerful smile and exclaimed, "It's a giant eyeball! Awesome!"

" _ **Not**_ awesome, kids! It's a Red Eye!" Peridot scolded tersely.

"Red Eye?" Connie asked in confusion. "You mean that disease that makes your eyes all red and puffy?"

"Oh, no! It's going to destroy us all!" Dipper exclaimed in sudden panic, only to repeatedly yell, "Destroy us all! Destroy us all! Destroy…"

Mabel interrupted her brother's ranting with a harsh punch to his left arm, which made the young boy cry out in pain.

"Sorry, Dipper. We just don't have time for that, now." Mabel said apologetically.

"Well, Connie meant pinkeye, and despite Dipper's overzealous nature, he's right." Jasper clarified with Lapis letting out an amused chuckle at their expense.

"Wait, how dangerous is this Red Eye, anyway?" Mabel asked, hoping for a real answer from the Gems.

"The Red Eye is, in human terms, a meteor." Peridot explained with an anxious expression. "If we don't stop it from approaching, it'll crash into Gravity Falls and _**crush**_ us along with a bunch of oblivious, innocent people. That's why we need to stop it!

"Whoa, this is like when Captain Grissom and his team stopped an asteroid from crashing into a human colony towards the end of the first book!" Steven exclaimed with a bright grin. He then formed a quizzical expression and said, "Although, we don't have thrusters to push it into space, do we?"

"Sadly, no." Jasper answered bluntly.

"Well, what can we do to get rid of it?" Mabel asked, hoping that she, Dipper, and Connie would be able to help the Gems. After all, it was more than likely that her journal had some solution to their problem. Even if it didn't, she knew that herself and her friends were inventive and clever enough to find an alternative.

"The only things powerful enough to destroy it at this point are the last two Laser Light Cannons that belonged to…Rose." Jasper explained as she formed a small frown from the mention of her name.

"Wait, Rose? Why does that name sound so familiar?" Dipper asked, perplexed.

"Didn't Peridot mention her name during that whole Gobblewonker incident?" Mabel added similarly.

"Y-Y-Yeah. My mom's name was Rose Quartz." Steven clarified, now realizing that he hadn't mentioned her by name to the twins or Connie. "She's, you know…not around…anymore."

Neither of the three kids pressed for more information and expressed their sympathy for their friend with silent, solemn nods. The Gems, however, seemed more concerned with the situation at hand.

"Ugh, if Rose were here, this would be so _**easy**_!" Lapis complained bitterly as she ran her fingers through her hair.

"I know, but she's…not." Jasper said tightly, glancing away as she struggled not to cry.

"I know that you're right, but both cannons have been missing for years!" Peridot pointed out as she groaned in exasperation. "We've got to try and find another solution."

The kids all exchanged uncertain glances as they paused to think about what they would do about the Red Eye, until Steven suddenly got a bright idea.

"Oh, I know!" Steven exclaimed with a newfound smile. "I-I-If the cannons belonged to my mom, my dad should know where they are! He can help us save the day!"

An uncomfortable silence hung over the Gems upon hearing this idea, all of them awkwardly glancing away from Steven. Lapis cleared her throat as Jasper formed an uncomfortable grimace, which left Peridot to speak up. "Greg is… _ **okay**_ , Steven…" Peridot began with an uncomfortable frown. "But I doubt that Rose would entrust someone like _**him**_ with such powerful weapons."

"Your dad's a bit too laid back, Steven." Lapis bluntly said as she laid a hand on her surrogate son's shoulder.

"Lapis!" Peridot snapped testily, shocked that she would be so blunt with their mutual feelings towards the man.

"What? We all know it's true." Lapis said defensively. "I'm just saying that even if she _**did**_ leave them with him, he probably abandoned them, sold them, or is using them as footrests."

"You're not wrong, Lapis." Jasper agreed succinctly.

"I know you don't think that highly of my dad, but have a little fate this time!" Steven said in determination. "He's probably keeping them safe somewhere; I'll go ask him."

"We can handle this, Little Cub." Jasper said reassuringly. She then turned towards Lapis and asked, "You ready?"

"Let's take it down." the blue Gem said as she collected water from some nearby trees and submerged herself in a large bubble of water, before she froze it solid. The kids all watched as Jasper effortlessly grabbed the ice ball and threw it towards the Red Eye. Lapis soared towards the orb before she abruptly hit it. This had no effect on the Red Eye as it merely deflected their combined attack and sent Lapis hurtling down towards the Earth, a few feet from where the Gems and kids were standing. When the dust cleared, Steven, Dipper, and Peridot blushed when they saw that Lapis landed face first, which involuntarily exposed a set of blue panties from gravity's effect on her skirt.

"Oh, enjoying the show, Peri?" Lapis asked with a weary flirtation as she struggled to get back up.

"Uh, we're going to go, okay?!" Steven yelled hastily as he ran away, extremely embarrassed that he'd seen Lapis like that. Connie followed suit, but Mabel had an angered scowl on her face as she pried Dipper away from Lapis' wardrobe malfunction.

"Okay, don't get killed." Peridot said halfheartedly, only for Jasper to gently pry her away from Lapis with an annoyed expression on her face.

"So, with that out of the way, do you guys want to help me?" Steven asked after composing himself from Lapis' display.

"I'm with you, Steven!" Connie stated cheerfully. "Anything to help out on a Gem mission!"

"Kind of wish that we could've stuck around, but helping on a Gem mission is a totally awesome consolation prize!" Dipper added with equal fervor.

"Wait, is anyone even considering what'll happen if Steven's dad _**doesn't**_ have the light cannons?" Mabel asked apprehensively, knowing what was at stake.

"Oh, don't be such a buzzkill, Mabel!" Dipper smirked teasingly.

"Yeah, I mean, he probably has at least one of them; don't lose hope!" Connie said encouragingly.

"I'm more inclined with Dipper and Connie, Mabel." Steven said with a confident grin. "Even if he doesn't have both, he's got to have some idea on where they are, so let's go!"

With that, Steven led his friends into town, all four of them knowing that they were working on a hunch at this point. Still, considering the looming threat above their heads, it had to be enough for now.

 **Ford's House (Front Yard) 3:50 PM**

After working in his lab for most of the day, inventing new gadgets, Ford headed out to the front yard and sat on porch's bench, his eyes glued to the newspaper and with a blissful smile on his face. However, this period of peace didn't last very long as Ford heard the all-too familiar sound of Robbie's bike, which made him lightly groan in exasperation.

"Robert, why are you at my home?" Ford asked, his eyes never leaving the paper.

"Prof. Pines, where are the kids?!" Robbie asked frantically as he dismounted his bike and undid his helmet. "There's something weird going on right now!"

"Robbie, I've studied the paranormal activity here for three decades. Trust me; whatever it is isn't worth my time." Ford said dismissively, not in the mood for whatever Robbie saw.

"Listen to me, I was your best student. All you need to do is just take your eyes off the newspaper." Robbie said pleadingly, which made Ford groan in annoyance.

"Alright, but I don't see how…" Ford said in exasperation as he complied, only for him to trail off as he eyes grew wider from seeing everything bathed in sunset colors. He quickly leapt off the porch and looked towards the sky, a mysterious sensation in his mind briefly overtaking him before he regained control.

"Now do you believe me?!" Robbie asked incredulously.

"My God. This is…familiar." Ford said wistfully, unsure of why he was feeling this way. Still, something inside of him knew who he needed to see at this moment: The Gems.

 **It's a Wash (Parking Lot) 3:56 PM**

Greg Universe lived on the other side of town, though he could've lived anywhere since he lived in his van. However, he spent most of time keeping up shop at the carwash he owned and operated singlehandedly. Although, he often wished he'd gotten enough business to afford changing the name of his workplace. Still, since it wasn't too much of a walk into town to get there, even from the temple, but considering their dire circumstances, the kids quickened the pace, despite Mabel offering to levitate them all there.

"I think that you'll like my dad, guys." Steven said with a small smile, glancing back at the trio as he led the way to the car wash. "He's a bit laid back, but he's the coolest guy I know. That's probably because he used to be a rock star."

"Whoa! You've got rock star blood in your veins?!" Dipper exclaimed with a joyful smile. "I wish my dad was that cool!"

"So, did he have like a band or something?" Connie asked similarly.

"Nah, he never made it big, and he doesn't really play it as much anymore." Steven explained. "He used to sing and play on the guitar by himself, but he still has a great voice. He actually wound up in Gravity Falls when he was on a tour."

"So, no offense to your dad, but…why would he give that up to work at a car wash?" Mabel asked, her tone slightly deadpan.

"W-W-Well, that's actually because of my mom." Steven explained, slightly embarrassed. "Still, he had a great fallback career and he's just as talented with it. If I know my dad, he's probably in the garage of this place."

On their way to the garage, the kids briefly gawked at Greg's van. It's paint job was an elaborate array of colors and patterns, though they resembled a space aesthetic with the stars, comets, and planets emblazoned on the vehicle's otherwise white, slightly dented exterior. The words "Mr. Universe" were painted onto the side in purple, pointing towards the van's origins as a tour vehicle.

Still, they didn't have time to finish admiring it as the kids followed Steven towards the white garage, which was closed with a sign on its door saying, _"Paint Time"_. Steven merely smiled brightly as he knocked on the door.

"Dad, it's me. I need your help with something." Steven requested, hoping that he wasn't interrupting his father.

"Hang on a sec, okay, Stu-Ball?" Greg replied as Steven and the others heard footsteps approaching them. They then heard a button being pushed, which allowed the garage door to open. When it opened all the way, Steven smiled warmly as the others merely waved to his father.

Greg Universe was a toned, middle-aged man with lightly tanned skin, short brown hair, a matching goatee, and black eyes. He wore a dark blue jacket with a white undershirt, red jeans, and brown tennis shoes. Currently, he had some paint splattered on his face and hands.

"Well, this a surprise, son." Greg said affectionately as he hugged Steven. He then looked at the remaining kids and asked, "Wait, are these the friends you've told me about?"

"Yeah, dad. This is Dipper, Mabel, and Connie." Steven replied as he gestured towards them, respectively.

"It's good that I finally meet you three. Steven's told me a lot about you." Greg said with a smile, briefly focusing on Connie for a few moments before he said, "Huh, you're just as cute as Steven told me you were."

"Dad!" Steven exclaimed with an embarrassed blush, unaware that Connie formed her own with a small smile on her face.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Mr. Universe." Mabel said politely, only for Dipper to suddenly jump in.

"So, Steven told us that you used to be a rock star." Dipper began with an eager grin. However, before he could bombard the man with questions, Mabel gave him a small telekinetic slap on the back, which made him wince in pain.

"Sorry, but we don't have time for that." Mabel said seriously as she crossed her arms.

"Noted!" Dipper said hoarsely as he struggled to recover.

"Ah, family." Greg said wistfully, before he awkwardly cleared his throat and asked, "So, Steven told me that you two are related to Ford?"

"Yeah, he's our grunkle, which is short for great-uncle!" Dipper said chipperly, recovering from his minor injury.

"Well, that's odd. Ford never told me that he had any family when I worked with him." Greg said in confusion.

"Wait, you worked for Prof. Pines?" Connie asked, amazed by his prior relationship to Ford.

"You never told me that, dad." Steven said, perplexed.

"Oh, well, it wasn't anything big. I didn't get any of the science stuff, but I helped him by collecting some of the native Gravity Falls creatures." Greg said with a reminiscent laugh. "Oh, we got in a lot of trouble those days. Still, it paid the bills and everything else until I made enough to get a loan for this place."

"Yeah, you're…really living the dream." Mabel said hesitantly.

"You know it, and that's not all." Greg said with a playful smile as he gestured towards the interior of his garage. "Feast your eyes of the Greg Universe art gallery!"

With that, the trio ventured into the garage, which greatly resembled an artist's workplace. There was paint-splattered tarp on the floor with several hung paintings on the wall. There were several stacks of paintings scattered throughout the room, with an unfinished painting in the middle on an easel. Fittingly, given his van's design, all his paintings were of a space aesthetic, and nicely done as well.

"Holy smokes, Steven. Your dad's amazing!" Connie exclaimed in admiration.

"Oh, boy, this is awesome!" Dipper said with equal fervor.

"I'm impressed, but how did you find the time to do all of this, Mr. Universe?" Mabel admitted as she turned towards Greg.

"Well, days at the car wash have been…slow." Greg admitted sheepishly. "I do painting most of the time, but I'm very good at my job when someone comes. I've had to sell a couple of pieces to pay the bills and I get decent money from them. Still, I wish I didn't have to; it's mostly for fun since I stopped playing."

"You've got true potential here, Mr. Universe." Dipper said sincerely, which made Greg smile slightly.

"Thanks, but what are you guys doing out so late?" Greg asked in confusion.

"Oh, it's not. It just looks like that because of the giant eyeball in the sky." Connie said bluntly, which made Greg sweat lightly.

"Wait, are you telling me that…?" Greg trailed off as he ran outside and gawked at the Red Eye. He remained silent for a few second before he exclaimed, "What's a Red Eye doing here?!"

"That's why we came to find you, dad. Mom's Laser Light Cannons are the only things that can stop that." Steven clarified as he, Dipper, Mabel, and Connie walked towards Greg.

"Coming to me was the right thing, Steven." Greg said in rare seriousness as he fished out his van's keys from his left pocket and ran towards his vehicle. Upon entering, he turned on the ignition and opened the side doors with a push of a button. "Kids, get in the van."

"Where are we going, dad?" Steven asked as he and his friends piled into the vehicle.

"To the one place I know where at least one of the light cannons are. Buckle up!" Greg said confidently as the kids complied and he closed the doors. He then drove as fast as the van could go, intent on stopping the Red Eye.

 **Gravity Falls Forest 4:03 PM**

"I know it's crazy, but throw me again!" Lapis encouraged confidently, ignoring her messy hair and severely ripped dress that she didn't bother to fix.

"Look, I'm probably going to regret this…" Peridot trailed off with an embarrassed blush, knowing that she couldn't admit how much she was enjoying seeing Lapis' underwear with every failed attempt. "But, we're running out of time. We need a new plan."

"And what would you suggest, Peridot?" Jasper asked as she crossed her arms. "We can't use fusion and we don't have the Laser Light Cannons."

"Yeah, I love Steven, but he's going to need someone to hug him when he doesn't find the cannons." Lapis said bluntly, rubbing her head from the pain of the repeated impacts.

"I'm with you on that, Lapis." Jasper stated and then formed a smug expression. "After all, Rose would've told _**me**_ if she'd left them with Greg."

Before anyone could respond, Ford and Robbie arrived with panicked expressions on their faces, intent on talking to the Gems.

"Guys, why is a Red Eye here?" Ford asked as he broke into a nervous sweat.

"Uh, Red Eye? What Red Eye?" Peridot said unconvincingly, wanting to get Ford out of the way.

"Peridot, don't ask me how I know, but I know that's a Red Eye!" Ford said in anger as he pointed towards the orb.

"Ford, please. I don't want you to get hurt by this thing." Peridot said pleadingly.

"No offense, Peridot, but that's going to happen anyway!" Robbie gruffly pointed out.

"The kid Mabel told us about is right. We're all going to get crushed by this thing in a matter of hours." Lapis said in agreement, which made Peridot grumble lightly.

"Neither of you have to worry. We've got this under control." Jasper said in false reassurance, knowing that right now, Steven and his friends were their best shot.

"Well, what've you been doing to destroy it?" Ford asked doubtfully, knowing that there was something that could take care of the Red Eye.

"Jasper threw me a few times when I encased myself in ice, but aside from Peridot looking at my butt with every attempt, nothing." Lapis admitted with a flirtatious wink towards Peridot, which the green Gem barely acknowledged. "So, unless Steven and his friends can save the day, we're all dead."

"Wait, what?!" Ford and Robbie yelled simultaneously.

"They're not in Steven's room?!" Ford yelled incredulously.

"You essentially sent them on a suicide mission!" Robbie exclaimed fearfully.

"No, we didn't. We didn't send them and they're with Greg." Peridot clarified. "They're going to be okay…until the Red Eye comes."

"So, uh…what's the plan?" Robbie asked nervously as he looked towards the orb.

"We'll think of something." Jasper assured, even though she knew that they were running out of options. "We always find a way."

 **U-Stor 4:07 PM**

It wasn't a long drive from Greg's car wash to where he'd vaguely remembered storing at least one of Rose's Laser Light Cannons. He parked in the back of the storage facility and walked towards his storage unit alongside Steven and his friends.

"Whoa, is this a magical storage unit?" Dipper asked in awe.

"Not exactly, Dipper." Greg said good-naturedly as he fished out the keys to his unit from his right pocket. "But, if my relationship with Rose taught me anything it's that magic can exist anywhere." He flashed a goofy grin and formed a small blush, much to the confusion of the four kids before he awkwardly cleared his throat. "I-I-It's just a storage unit where I keep things that can't fit in the van and/or don't qualify as paintings. If memory serves, there should be at least one of them here."

Without further ado, Greg unlocked the storage bin and pulled the large door open. The unit was organized, but it was filled with copious amounts of boxes upon boxes. Thankfully, there was a small walkway carefully formed from the stacking.

"Wow, if the cannons are in there, we're going to have trouble pulling them out." Mabel stated with a dismayed frown, knowing that it wouldn't be a good idea to use her powers on these boxes.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Dipper asked with a daring grin. "Onwards and upwards, I say!"

"I'm with you, but what does that mean?" Connie questioned with a similar expression.

"I have no idea!" Dipper said cheerfully.

"Wait, if we're going in there, we need to be careful." Steven said as he stepped in front of the eager duo.

With that, Steven got a flashlight from Greg's van and tethered himself to Mabel, Dipper, and Connie with one of his father's extension cords. Thankfully, Greg held the absolute end of the cord in case of an emergency and the cord itself was long enough that they'd make it through.

"Okay, here we go." Steven said confidently as he and his friends walked into the storage unit.

"Good luck, kids!" Greg said sincerely as he watched them enter his storage unit. The walkway was big enough that the kids could walk straight as Steven led the way, his flashlight dimly illuminating their way inside.

"Whoa, it's like we're architects or something." Dipper exclaimed in awe as he got a better look at the labels on the boxes.

" _ **Archaeologists**_ , Dipper." Mabel corrected, only to form an admiring expression. "Still, there's some cool stuff in here."

"It's basically a dad museum." Steven said with a grin.

"It's a shame that most of the exhibits are boxed up." Connie said playfully, which made Dipper burst into a small fit of laughter.

"Yeah, I've been meaning to have a yard sale or give this to charity, but I never had the time." Greg admitted, having been able to hear their conversation. "I guess I'm a bit of a packrat when it comes to this stuff."

"That's an understatement!" Dipper said playfully, which made Connie burst into a small fit of laughter. He then gasped when he spotted a vague, cannon-like shape nearby, which prompted him to tap Steven's shoulder to get a better look. Steven complied and motioned his flashlight towards the area, only for Dipper and Connie to let out sighs of disappointment when they saw a set of carefully placed golf clubs.

"I didn't know that you golfed, dad." Steven said in amazement as the group ventured forwards.

"Eh, that was kind of an impulse buy. Golf isn't for a guy like me until I'm old and gray." Greg admitted with a sheepish frown.

"Whoa, look at that!" Connie exclaimed, pointing towards another cannon-shaped shadow deeper along. She strayed from the path a bit to reach for it, her grin widening as the features of the handheld, gun-like object growing ever clearer. "Oh, my gosh! This has to be it!" Connie gushed as she showed it off to the group.

"It looks a little…small to be a light cannon." Steven said hesitantly, though Dipper was more inclined to the possibility that it was.

"Well, try it out!" Dipper encouraged as Connie fired towards a thick wall of boxes, only for a rolled-up t-shirt to fly out of the barrel and hit the wall with an unceremonious thud.

"'Buy T-Shirt Cannons?'" Connie read aloud from the t-shirt as she let out a disappointed groan and abandoned the t-shirt cannon.

"Sorry, Connie. Maybe next time." Steven said empathetically as they continued their journey, unaware of Connie's small smile.

The kids were steadily approaching the back of the storage bin as Steven spotted a familiar box along their path.

"Hey, dad! It's your old box of CDs!" Steven called back to his father in rare excitement.

"Oh, man. I couldn't _**give**_ those things away!" Greg said good-naturedly. "I may not shred like the old days, but back then, I was a traveling rock star."

"We know, dad." Steven said with a small laugh. "I already told Dipper, Mabel, and Connie about that."

"That's good." Greg said, unfazed by his redundant explanation. "Anyway, when I came to play a concert here in Gravity Falls, no one showed up except…"

"A vampire!" Steven finished dramatically.

"Whoa, really?!" Dipper and Connie asked simultaneously, fully buying it, though Mabel rolled her eyes, knowing that Steven was joking.

"No, it was Steven's mom, Rose!" Greg clarified with a small, fond smile of his late love.

"Yeah, I know!" Steven quipped as the kids ventured even further into the storage unit.

"Rose and I hit it off from the start." Greg continued with a content sigh as he fondly remembered his time with Rose. "After I settled down here, we were always together. And then, she gave up her physical form to bring Steven into the world."

"Wait, _**that's**_ what happened to your mom, Steven?" Mabel asked, confused by Greg's explanation.

"Yeah," Steven replied, though he struggled to keep his composure with the grim subject. "T-T-The Gems told me that my mom passed her gem to me, which is why she isn't around anymore. I'm still confused about it, but I think that she was the nicest woman on Earth to do that for me."

"She was more than nice." Greg said fondly. "She was sweet, and selfless, and funny, and brave, and…beautiful. Even though she's gone, I can't imagine any woman meaning as much to me as she did. I know that it sounds cheesy, or something, but…she was my heart."

"Aw, that's so romantic!" Dipper mused. "I wish I had that kind of love."

Steven had become so caught up in listening to his father recount details about his mother that he didn't even notice the framed photo in their way until he stepped on it by accident. "Oh, no. Dad, I-I-I broke a photo. The one of you and mom…" Steven said morosely as he picked up the picture, which now had a sizeable crack on its glass frame.

"Hang on, _ **that's**_ your mom, Steven?" Mabel asked in amazement as she and the others stole a glance at the picture, which featured Greg and Rose blissfully together.

Rose Quartz matched Greg's depiction almost exactly. She had a shapely, well-toned figure with soft and pleasant features, even though her eyes were closed, and she had a content smile on her full, coral lips. Her skin resembled a fair-skinned human, but had a light pink tint, almost exactly like Steven's. She had a bewildering abundance of lofty, pink curls that extended to her back like a ponytail. She wore a light pink, knee-length dress with a dark pink stripe in the middle, but with a star-shaped hole in the naval area to expose her pink gem. She also had dark pink armbands that ended around her forearms and matching leg straps that ended at her ankles.

She was significantly taller than Greg, though he stood alongside her all the same. The picture depicted the two of them standing in front of each other, their hands intertwined, and with Greg having an adoring grin on his face.

"Whoa, your mom was hot!" Dipper innocently exclaimed, which earned him a light punch to the arm, courtesy of Mabel.

"Sorry, but you don't say that about a friend's mom, Dipper." Mabel said tersely.

"Well, he does have a point. She was beautiful." Connie admitted in awe.

"Yeah…thanks, guys." Steven said with a sad smile as he stroked the side of the photo with his thumb. He then composed himself and turned his head back to say, "I'm really sorry about breaking it, dad!"

"Don't worry about it, Steven!" Greg said reassuringly, not angry with his son for an innocent accident. "If every pork chop were perfect, we wouldn't have hot dogs."

Suddenly, a bright, pink glow alerted all four kids, diverting their attention toward the source, which was near the end of the walkway. At first, it was so bright and sudden that it practically blinded them, though as it faded a bit, they managed to see the large pink cannon sitting, emitting a soft, magical light.

"Whoa, is that…?" Connie trailed off, though Steven was the one to finish for her.

"I think that it is, guys. We found one of my mom's light cannons." Steven whispered confidently.

"Then, what happened to the other one?" Mabel asked, glancing around and noticing that there was no other glow in the storage unit.

"Oh, man! This is like a major cliffhanger!" Dipper said in disappointment.

"We'll worry about that later." Steven assured. "Right now, we need to find some way to get this out of here."

"I think that we should use the cords. There's no way we can lug that out of here and it's too risky to use my powers." Mabel suggested, knowing that she might accidentally cause a mountain of clutter to rain down upon them.

"Way to go, Mabel." Steven said in encouragement. "Dad, we found one of them!"

"I knew that there was one there!" Greg proudly exclaimed. "I'll get the van!"

He did just that as the kids securely tied the cannon down with the extension cord, the end of which was still outside so that Greg could latch it onto the back bumper of his van. Unfortunately, their plan wasn't well thought out, for as Greg slowly inched the van forward, it brought the cannon alongside it, but it had inadvertently knocked into several boxes on the way out. As such, when the cannon was free, the contents of the boxes that it crashed into were sprawled out over the floor, breaking several fragile items in the process.

"This thing will save the town, just like how Captain Grissom saved the colony of Nueu Erde from the Tarbanian pirates!" Steven said in awe as he and his friends emerged from the storage unit, unharmed. "We need to get it to the temple!"

"No offense, Stu-Ball, but how?" Greg asked with a frown. "It's not going to fit in the van."

Coincidentally enough, a wagon from the storage unit rolled in front of them, giving them an idea. However, Mabel offered to levitate the cannon onto the wagon, which was met with no argument from the others, save for Dipper telling his sister to be careful. Unfortunately, despite her ease of doing much larger things before, Mabel sweated profusely as she levitated the cannon onto the wagon, barely able to do before she collapsed from fatigue. Due to the cannon's hefty weight, the bottom of the wagon was smashed to bits, which left the cannon's base on the ground, though now surrounded by the wagon's wheels.

"Are you okay, Mabel?" Dipper asked in concern as he helped his sister up.

"Yeah, I'll be fine." Mabel answered wearily, seemingly unaware of the fact that she was experiencing a nosebleed, which Connie nonchalantly took care of by giving Mabel some tissues from her back pocket.

"Do you have it under control?" Steven asked after a few moments, with Mabel nodding as she stuffed the tissues inside her nostrils to stop the bleeding. "Good, now let's get this to the temple!"

Knowing that they had no time to lose, everyone quickly piled into the van, Greg and Steven taking the only two front seats as Mabel, Dipper, and Connie sat in the back seat. As the van pulled forward, the cannon dragged along behind it, tethered to the back bumper as it was still contained by the sides of the wagon.

"Hmm, I don't think we thought this through." Steven said doubtfully, hearing the cannon scraping along the bare pavement as they headed through town.

"Hey, it's like I always say: If every pork chop were perfect…" Greg said reassuringly, only for Steven to chime in.

"We wouldn't have hot dogs!" Steven finished with a small smile.

"I don't think that's how hot dogs are made." Mabel remarked wearily as Dipper tilted her head back to help with her nosebleed.

"Man, I never thought I'd see one of _**those**_ again." Greg remarked uneasily, vaguely remembering an experience with a Red Eye before. "This isn't going to end well if we don't blow it up."

"Can the van go any faster, Mr. Universe?" Connie asked eagerly as she leaned forward from her seat.

"Sadly, no." Greg replied, somewhat ashamed that the van could only go about thirty miles an hour at best.

"Hey, we shouldn't worry." Dipper reassured them all with a blithe grin. "Everything's going to be great! We'll take this cannon to the Gems and then we'll hurry and find the other one before we all get crushed to death!"

"You're right." Mabel, Steven, and Connie said in whole-hearted unison, all of them resolved to help save the town.

"Hey, is it okay if I-I-I put on one of your CDs?" Steven asked anxiously as he held out a copy of his father's single he tucked away in his right pocket back at the storage bin. "I-I-I know it's been a while, but it might help, you know, lighten the mood."

"Really, kiddo?" Greg asked as he formed an embarrassed blush. "It's, you know, not that great."

"I doubt that, Mr. Universe!" Connie exclaimed encouragingly. "Let's play the song!"

"Come on, dad. Do it for me?" Steven requested, which warmed his father's heart enough to oblige as he inserted the disk himself into the van's CD player. The rock single blared over the speakers, rumbling the van with the loud guitar riff opening. The intro lasted a few seconds though, before the lyrics started, with Greg's voice singing passionately to an upbeat tune.

" _I know I'm not that tall, I know I'm not that smart, but let me drive my van into your heart!"_

" _Let me drive my van into your heart!"_ Steven chimed in on the song, always happy to sing along to his father's music. Greg chuckled nervously, both out of his son's admiration and the looming threat of the Red Eye. The cannon still dragged faithfully behind the van as it careened through downtown, many of the human residents of Gravity Falls gawking at the sight of the cannon and Red Eye.

" _I know I'm not that rich. I'm trying to get my start…"_

" _So, let me drive my van into your heart!"_ Steven sang along, with Dipper and Connie zealously joining him that time. Now, all three of them started to sing along to the melody as the van turned onto the path that led them to the temple.

 **Gravity Falls Forest 4:22 PM**

The song continued to blast from the van even as it approached the Gems, still observing the Red Eye from the base of the hill alongside Ford and Robbie. At first, none of them noticed the van as they all argued over what to do about the incoming orb. Yet, even from a distance, it was quite clear that the Gems and elderly scientist were quite frustrated with each other and their situation.

"Please, even without…whatever can stop the Red Eye…. we should form a contingency plan!" Ford suggested, briefly getting a migraine each time he looked at the orb.

"I've calculated over nine-thousand scenarios, Ford! You might be a fantastic _Dungeons, Dungeons, and More Dungeons_ player, but we can't stop the Red Eye in time or evacuate the town!" Peridot countered as she looked upwards at what would likely be their deaths.

"Ugh, if only we lived in a beach town, or beach city, or something!" Lapis yelled in frustration as she frazzled her hair. "I could've totally smacked it back into space with enough water!"

Before Peridot or Jasper could weigh in on the matter, the van broke through the woods and arrived on the scene, still tugging the light cannon behind it. All three of the Gems stared at the pink cannon in shock, unaware that Ford had turned his head as well and got an even stronger migraine.

"Hey, guys!" Dipper and Connie said cheerfully as they poked their heads out of the windows to greet them.

"I can't believe it…" Peridot muttered in awe. "He actually had one of them!"

"Oh, we're back baby!" Lapis cheered exuberantly.

"Hmm, not exactly." Jasper remarked, knowing that they were a light cannon short.

"Whoa, what's this rad thing?" Robbie asked in amazement as the kids exited the van, unaware that Mabel formed an embarrassed blush as she hastily took out the tissues from her now-dry nose before Robbie could see them.

"It's a cannon!" Dipper innocently exclaimed, inadvertently preventing any more of Mabel's embarrassment, with Steven, Mabel, and Connie not too far behind as Greg positioned the van and cannon just right. "We're going to save the town!"

"So, this is going to blow that eyeball to kingdom come?" Robbie asked hopefully, all of them unaware that Ford had taken refuge underneath a nearby tree to ease his migraines.

"You bet your bottom dollar, it will!" Connie said proudly, with Robbie forming a confused frown.

"Uh, who are you?" Robbie asked, perplexed.

"I'm Connie. Nice to meet you!" Connie said happily, unfazed by Robbie's unfamiliarity.

"Well, we only found half of what it'll take to blow up the Red Eye." Steven admitted sheepishly.

"Wait, then…where's the other one?" Peridot asked, her concern overriding her relief. "Greg didn't have it?"

"I guess not! That's the only one I remember!" Greg called out as he parked the van, confused as to why he didn't have any clue to the second one's location.

"So, If Rose didn't give the second one to Greg…where is it?" Lapis asked the kids.

"We…have no idea." Connie said bluntly.

"As much as I can't believe I'm saying this, you four have to go find it!" Peridot yelled insistently. "At this rate, the Red Eye will be here within the next two hours!"

"Wait, you guys are trusting _**us**_ to go find it?" Mabel asked, taken aback that the Gems didn't insist on handling this themselves.

"You four _**did**_ find the first cannon." Jasper said confidently. "We trust that you'll find the other one."

"Yeah, you've got this, kids!" Lapis assured, only to form a sheepish grin. "Because if you don't, we're all going to die."

"Lapis!" Peridot scolded.

"You kids can do it!" Ford cheered from his resting spot, only to rub his temples to relieve the pain. "Just hurry and take care of that thing, okay?"

"Can do, Grunkle Ford!" Dipper and Mabel proudly replied.

"Well, I'm not going to just sit back and watch this without giving that eyeball a piece of my mind." Robbie said confidently as he turned towards the kids. "Consider me your guest party member, kids!"

"Great! We could use the extra hands and eyes!" Dipper said cheerfully, with Steven and Connie agreeing with nods and Mabel merely blushing so hard that it would've likely caused another nosebleed if she hadn't pulled herself together.

"We may not have any leads, but we're going to save the town or die trying!" Connie said proudly, unaware of the concerned expressions of the Gems as she blindly charged into town.

"Sorry, we should go before she hurts herself!" Steven said apologetically to his guardians as he, Dipper, Mabel, and Robbie hastily followed Connie.

"Go west, Steven Universe! You're our only hope!" Lapis called out encouragingly before they entirely left their sight.

"We won't let you down!" Steven yelled back as his voice faded from the distance he was traveling with his friends. He then turned towards the group as he caught up and said, "Let's go, team! One cannon down, one to go!"

 **AN: Well, this is the shortest chapter I've written for this story, but I'm very satisfied with how it turned out. It's still an honor and pleasure to do this Minijen, and I'll continue to do my best.**

 **So, rate, review, and I'll be back with the next chapter as soon as I can.**

 **Next Time—Chapter 7: Magic and Mystery (Part 2)**


	7. Magic and Mystery (Part 2)

**AN: Hello, everyone and I would like to say thank you for all your support in Momswap Rises. The feedback I've received is much appreciated and is due for consideration. I'm also grateful that the reception has been mostly positive, especially compared to some of my now-dead stories.**

 **Also, enjoy my first use of cryptograms in this story, which are limited to the journal entries and parts where they're necessary. These ones can be decoded with the Caesar Cipher and unless told otherwise, goes for the future cryptograms.**

 **Now then, the adventure continues!**

Momswap Rises

Chapter 7: Magic and Mystery (Part 2)

 **Gravity Falls Forest 4:23 PM**

Ford frowned skeptically as he watched the kids and Robbie leave. Despite the teen's presence, Ford knew that this task was daunting enough that they might not succeed in time. True, they had managed to find the first Laser Light Cannon, but that was only because Greg conveniently had it all this time. Still, there was something incredibly familiar about these cannons and the Red Eye, a sense that made Ford rub his temples in confusion and pain relief. Even stranger, none of the Gems had any idea where the second one could be, a fact that haunted Ford since the Red Eye was a mere two hours away from destroying them all. It was only when he couldn't see the kids or Robbie anymore that Ford got up and walked towards the Gems to voice his concerns.

"Do you three _**really**_ think that the kids, even with Robbie's help can find the second cannon in time?" Ford asked with a caustic expression.

"Well, don't forget; they found the first one." Lapis pointed out.

"Besides, we're kind of…running out of options here." Peridot said fretfully, knowing that their lives very literally depended on the kids finding the second cannon.

"Don't count them out yet, Ford. My boy and your great-niece are two of a kind: determined and hungry to find the truth." Greg said confidently as he joined the group after parking the van. "Besides, he's got your great-niece, their friend, and Robbie with them. Combined, they're an eager, young team with everything to prove!"

"That's what I'm worried about, Greg. You know that Gravity Falls isn't a normal town." Ford said fearfully. "If something happens to any of them, I'd never forgive myself. And if they don't find the cannon in time, they're just as dead as we are."

"You shouldn't worry, Ford. We'll find an alternative if we have to." Jasper reassured with a vague tone.

"Jasper's right, Ford." Peridot agreed firmly. "We won't let this town be crushed under our watch. Rose wanted us to keep this town safe, especially since the…old days."

"I already know the answer to this, but what did you have in mind?" Ford asked skeptically, which made the Gems fall into a long period of silence.

None of the Gems could bring themselves to answer this question. Truthfully, they didn't have much of a plan if the kids didn't bring the second cannon in time. Granted, even though they all had powerful skills and abilities, even their three-way fusion couldn't put a dent in an object that size. They soon silently mourned Rose, knowing that she would've brought her light cannons the second she saw the Red Eye. However, they also knew that even if she didn't have them, she'd have found some way to beat the odds and come up with a magnificent plan to save the town, reminiscent of what she'd done in the past. Still, the Gems, especially Jasper, knew that Rose wasn't coming back, and now their fates as well as the town were in the hands of four kids and a teenager. If that wasn't ironic, they didn't know what was.

"Well…we could…" Peridot said uncertainly before Jasper thankfully interrupted her.

"There's always teamwork to bring that eyesore down." Jasper explained succinctly, though her answer was ambiguous.

"Okay, as great as that sounds, I hope that the kids will be safe and find that cannon in time." Ford said, doing his best to hide his skepticism of the Gems' plan.

"They'll find it." Jasper said confidently. "We underestimated them once. We're not going to make that mistake again."

 **Gravity Falls (Big Donut) 4:33 PM**

The group had gone to the Big Donut to formulate their plan, which was aided by the complimentary tourist maps from the establishment. Despite the severity of the situation, the five of them found enough time for each of them to buy a donut, which they snacked on as Mabel went over the map as they sat around one of the outside tables.

"Okay," Mabel began as she paused to take a small bite of her donut and took out a blue pen from her left jacket pocket. While Mabel would've hesitated, or made a goof of herself around Robbie, the looming threat in the sky gave her enough incentive to overcome that…for the time being. "So, as far as we know, the cannon could quite literally be anywhere in Gravity Falls."

"I know that this won't help, but…it might not be in Gravity Falls at all." Steven interjected hesitantly. "There's a bunch of Gem places around the world that the Gems can travel to using the warp pad. My mom could've stashed it anywhere in those areas."

"Well, for the sake of time, we'll have to settle for searching only Gravity Falls." Mabel admitted, though she pinched the ridge of her nose in exasperation if the cannon was truly outside Gravity Falls. "We'll have to make a list of any of the places the cannon could be in town."

"Awesome idea, sis!" Dipper praised as he then formed a contemplative, but eager, expression. "So, where would Steven's mom have stashed a pink, magical cannon?"

"Maybe it's in the forest!" Connie interjected eagerly, which made Mabel circle it as a potential area. "It's where we all, except Robbie, met! Not to mention that there's a bunch of magical creatures in there!"

"There's no way it'd be in the town. We'd have found it by now if that was true." Robbie mentioned, which made Mabel cross out the town area with an 'x'.

"There's no way it's in Grunkle Ford's house." Dipper assumed with a slight frown. "He'd have been all gung-ho if he had it or we would've seen it by now."

"It's less likely to be in the temple." Steven concluded. "If it was, the Gems would've blown that Red Eye to bits by now."

"Okay, so the best areas we have to go on are the forest, the lake, and the cliffs." Mabel said, only to look at the map with a frown. "We're…janked. Royally janked."

"Maybe we could split up?" Connie suggested, only to form a doubting frown. "Wait, then how would we bring the cannon back if any of us found it?"

"That's not the only issue. As the closest thing to an adult here, we need to stay together. I'm usually cool, but this town is really dangerous." Robbie said authoritatively.

"I like it when you're bossy." Mabel whispered as she formed a small blush, which Robbie didn't notice.

"Robbie's right, guys!" Dipper grinned as he stood on the table and wrapped his arms as best as he could around the group. "After all, five heads are better than one!"

"Even with the number's advantage, we have to find an easier way to comb the town before that Red Eye hits." Mabel said thoughtfully as she gazed at the map with a frown, but not before she reciprocated her brother's embrace. Suddenly, an idea popped into her head on what would likely be the best resource on the Red Eye. "I can't believe I didn't think of it at first…the journal!" Mabel exclaimed brightly, though Dipper and Connie looked at her in confusion while Steven and Robbie smiled in approval.

"Wait, are you thinking what I think you're thinking?" Dipper asked his sister in confusion as she rapidly skimmed the journal.

"Sounds like a lot of thinking." Connie lightly joked.

"Of, course! The journal knew about the Gem Bear, so it m-m-might have some knowledge about the Red Eye!" Steven exclaimed.

"She's definitely onto something. That book helped us against the ghost of Ellis Darrow, so it's worth a shot." Robbie added as he crossed his arms.

"Maybe, but I've found nothing." Mabel admitted as she still couldn't find anything about the Red Eye or the light cannons so far. While she had read most of the interesting journal pages in her free time, she hadn't even come close to half of what was stored in the mysterious tome. However, as she flipped through the uncharted second half of the journal, she noticed the odd, varying thickness of the pages. "Wait…" Mabel muttered in confusion as she thumbed a corner of one of the thicker pages and felt a small, strange, metallic bump lining the very edge of the paper. "These are stapled?"

"Whoa, they totally are!" Dipper exclaimed as she looked at the bottom of the page and felt out the small, barely visible bottom of the staple there. "That's so freaky."

"But why would these pages be stapled together?" Steven asked in confusion as he looked at the page's content, which depicted a rather generic-looking monster.

"I don't know, but it probably has some wicked secret!" Connie exclaimed eagerly.

"Kids, I don't know about this. There might be something in there we're not meant to see." Robbie cautioned, only to form a small smile. "Then again, it might be super cool!"

"Whatever's in there, we're about to find out." Mabel said as she telekinetically removed the staples, much to Robbie's surprise. While Robbie was tempted to ask her how she could do that, his question would remain unanswered as when Mabel manually turned the page, they gasped in shock.

The formerly-hidden pages were covered in detailed sketches about the Gems themselves, accompanied by a variety of notes and descriptions. Oddly, they were interlaced with codes and cryptograms in place of certain words. Fittingly, each of the Gems had their own personal page, but what shocked them all to their cores, especially Steven, was the personal page of Rose Quartz.

"What is this?" Steven muttered, justifiably concerned by the specific information regarding the Gems, including his mother.

"T-This is incredible!" Mabel exclaimed, immensely fascinated by the new facts and details about the Gems. Just by skimming over the new pages, she learned that Jasper had a very high pain tolerance, Lapis could create an army of water clones, and Peridot knew how to create machines that likely surpassed her grunkle's inventions. "Sorry if I seem insensitive, Steven, but this is gold! I knew that the journal had some knowledge about Gem monsters, but I didn't expect it had any information on the Gems themselves!"

"I'm glad that you're excited, but this seems…invasive." Steven said hesitantly, unsure on if it was right to see these pages.

"Well, maybe it's not, Steven." Robbie shrugged.

"Yeah, I bet whoever wrote this was pretty tight with the Gems!" Dipper suggested.

"And whoever it was, the Gems let them because they're so cool!" Connie added, only to form a frown as she said, "At least, when they're not a crazy fusion."

"Well, ignoring that last, mutual statement, if that's true then, this might have the answers we've been looking for!" Mabel proclaimed eagerly. "The Gems might even know who the author was!"

"Uh…let's just focus on finding intel about the light cannons, okay?" Steven nervously suggested. While Steven had his reasons for not telling the Gems about the journal, he knew that revealing it now would likely be a huge mistake. After all, he was now noticing that the Gems were often secretive about their past and this information seemed so personal and private. Even though Dipper and Connie's theory seemed plausible, the alternative explanation made Steven's heart sink. What if the author had somehow spied on the Gems and wrote down their information without consent? If that were the case, the Gems would likely be immensely upset or disappointed at Steven, which was something that the young Gem wasn't willing to risk. It was this line of thought that made him refocus on the looming threat of the Red Eye, knowing that if they failed, the journal would be a non-issue.

"Oh, yeah!" Dipper and Connie exclaimed eagerly as they attempted to look over the journal for themselves, only for Mabel to telekinetically keep it out of their reach.

"No offense, but I'll see if there's any intel on the light cannons." Mabel said placatingly as she returned the book into her hands and skimmed the pages for the information.

Despite Mabel's request, the rest of the group loomed over her shoulders to see the journal's new content, which she didn't mind since the Red Eye was the immediate threat. They found references and/or drawings to the Gem temple, the Crystal Gems' weapons, and their group manifesto, which Mabel made a mental note of to look at later. Soon enough, the kids and Robbie found what they were looking for: an illustration of the dual light cannons accompanied by two pages of notes describing them.

"Aw, sweet! You were right, cutie!" Robbie praised, which made Mabel form an intense blush.

"T-Thanks, Robbie." Mabel said nervously as she struggled to get back to the task at hand.

"So, w-w-what does it say?" Steven asked, secretly relieved that they weren't looking over personal information about his guardians anymore. "Is there any information on where the last light cannon is?"

"Well, let's see…" Mabel said as she composed herself and read aloud the journal's content. _"The dual Laser Light Cannons are among the Crystal Gems' most powerful auxiliary weapons. They appear to be powered by an internal, contained source of magic. Upon activation, they emit a conjoined beam of pure energy strong enough to tear through most physical material, terrestrial or otherwise. It should be noted that without both cannons, their individual power is half."_

"Yeah, so?" Dipper groaned in boredom.

"We already know about this stuff. Is there anything about where the last one is?" Connie said similarly.

"Hang on, I think I'm getting there." Mabel said as she quickly skimmed over some of the other notes about the cannons and their functionality before flipping the page to see that it only had a brief description with a small poem underneath. _"Because of how potentially powerful the cannons are together, Rose believes that it's safer to store them separately when they're not in use. Thankfully, she entrusted me with safeguarding one of them, which I've hidden in an area that is well-protected against those that would use the cannon for nefarious purposes. Due to the location's secrecy, we formulated a series of clues that only a genius could decipher, which are inscribed below."_

"Whoa…" Steven said in awe, grateful that this implied that the author was on friendly terms with the Gems, or at least his mother. "So, the author was likely on friendly terms with the Gems and my mom trusted whoever he was with the last cannon."

"Well, it looks like we have another mystery on our hands, guys." Mabel said, even though she was immensely curious about the author's identity. "For now, we need to see what the clues say."

The clues took the form of a two-stanza poem, scrawled in what was likely Rose's handwriting, which was inferred due to elegance of the words. The poem itself was vague and cryptic even upon the first reading:

" _My cannon hides with my friends,_

 _Its key within a villainous horde._

 _Go down to where the water descends,_

 _And search for the golden sword."_

" _For those who are truly smart,_

 _This riddle shall soon unwind._

 _For at the place where you start,_

 _There, magic, you will surely find."_

"Well, that's a nice poem and everything, but what does it mean?" Dipper questioned with a confounded frown.

"Mabel, you and Steven read a bunch of nerd stuff. Any ideas?" Connie asked innocently.

"Poetry doesn't really qualify as 'nerd stuff', Connie." Mabel frowned, slightly offended as she and Steven looked at the riddle.

"Well, there's got to be some clue. Based on what the second stanza says, what we're looking for will be where we start." Steven admitted, though he scratched his head, knowing that could be anywhere.

"Hmm, well the stuff about a villainous horde, water descending, and the golden sword sound promising." Robbie admitted as he took out his ax and gripped it tightly. "I'm down for a good fight."

"Well, the water part probably means the lake!" Dipper exclaimed brightly, which made Steven's eyes widen in anxiety. "But what's this about a…?"

Dipper trailed off, having reached the same, likely conclusion as Steven had. Upon realization, both boys went into an uncomfortable silence, much to the rest of the group's confusion, until Mabel and Connie realized what they were thinking about.

"It couldn't be…could it?" Steven hoarsely vocalized.

"Well, if it is…there's nothing to worry about, right?" Dipper said hesitantly with a fake smile.

"Yeah, we'll be fine." Mabel said reassuringly as she embraced Dipper, with Connie doing the same with Steven.

"They'll never hurt us again." Connie added sweetly.

"What are you guys talking about?" Robbie asked in confusion as he sheathed his ax.

There was a small period of silence before Steven motioned for Connie to stop embracing him. He lifted his head, stared Robbie in the eyes and stated, "It's in the Kuroko Cave…and I know where it'll end."

 **Gravity Falls Forest 4:51 PM**

The scarlet aura the Red Eye cast upon the town steadily intensified as the group hurried to where Steven and Dipper were leading them. While the two boys took the lead, with Connie and Robbie following closely, Mabel hung a bit further behind them, immensely enthralled by the journal's new section. While it did contain previously unknown information about the Gems, several portions were frustratingly encrypted in code, as if to further hide whatever was in these pages. However, that hardly deterred Mabel as she read through the encrypted passages anyway, doing her best to figure out what the pages said, despite the overwhelming number of cryptograms interspersed within them.

" _It was early in my investigations of Gravity Falls that I noticed a group of elusive female beings, quite possibly of a magical origin, who seem to protect the town from danger. Previously, I had been unable to get close enough to learn anything about them, but once I got the chance to converse with them face-to-face, I learned many fascinating things!"_

" _Since Gravity Falls is home to many potentially dangerous anomalies, it is fortunate that the Crystal Gems are here to protect the ordinary citizens from them. It was a dream come true when I learned that the Gems are whfkqlfdoob dolhqv iurp d sodqhw wkhb rqob uhihu wr dv "Krphzruog". They are, in layman's terms, a race of polymorphic sentient rocks, making them "Gems" in both literally and by name. The Gems possess a literal combo platter of powers and abilities, including: vkdshvkliwlqj, uhjhqhudwlrq diwhu hawhqvlyh gdpdjh wr wkhlu skbvlfdo irupv, dqg wkh xqlrq ri vdlg irupv, zklfk wkhb fdoo "ixvlrq". Even though they are_ _dolhqv_ _iurp Krphzruog, they are devoted to the protecting the Earth, and, based on my research, wkhb kdyh ehhq grlqj vr iru wkrxvdqgv ri bhduv."_

While Mabel was interested by the general explanation of the Gems, aside from the codes that hid any sensitive information, the sections she read on each individual Gem were even more intriguing.

" _Jasper is the strongest warrior of the Gems, second only to Rose. While she was by Krphzruog vwdqgdugv, ghihfwlyh, vkh suryhg khu xvhixoqhvv eb ehfrplqj d shupdixvlrq zlwk Odslv. She wields a powerful crash helmet in battle that can shatter through solid concrete like paper. It's hard to believe with her issues, but she became an invaluable member of the Crystal Gems in no small part to Rose vdylqj khu dqg Odslv iurp ehlqj Pdodfklwh iruhyhu dqg vkrzlqj khu wkdw vkh zdv d zruwkb Jhp rq khu rzq, zklfk lv olnhob zkb vkh ehfdph rqh ri wkh iluvw phpehuv ri wkh Fubvwdo Jhpv."_

" _Peridot is unquestionably the smartest of the current Crystal Gems and the best strategist. While it was shocking for me to learn that vkh grhvq'w hyhq frph xs wr pb nqhh zlwkrxw khu olpe hqkdqfhuv, in hindsight, it was a bit obvious. Despite her reliance on technology, she is capable of ihuurnlqhvlv, ehwwhu nqrzq dv "phwdo pdqlsxodwlrq", wkrxjk grlqj vr fdxvhv d juhdw vwudlq rq khu ergb. Still, she is not to be underestimated in either battle or "Gxqjhrqv, Gxqjhrqv, dqg Pruh Gxqjhrqv", d jdph L qhyhu zrxog'yh lqwurgxfhg khu wr li L nqhz krz hyhq zh'g eh lq rxu wrxuqdphqwv._ _L dwwulexwh khu vnloo gxh wr khu iruphu vwdwxv dv d Nlqghujduwqhu, (vhh Mrxuqdo 1)."_

" _Lapis is the most irresponsible Crystal Gem, pdgh wr eh d whuudiruphu iru Krphzruog, dqg odwhu lqwr d shupdixvlrq zlwk Mdvshu. Still, she possesses a myriad of aquatic abilities and her primary weapon in battle is water. While she acts like a child most of the time, she kdueruv dq lqwhqvh dwwudfwlrq wrzdugv Shulgrw, qrw xqolnh wkh rqh Mdvshu kdg iru Urvh. Despite her personality, in water, she is an unequal match in battle._

" _Rose Quartz is the leader and founder of the Crystal Gems. Her deep affection and commitment to humans is fhqwxulhv rog, eruq dplg wkh dqflhqw Jhp zdu, zklfk Judylwb Idoov zdv d sduw ri hyhq ehiruh wkh iluvw kxpdq frorqb. Rose is an incredibly powerful Gem with many different unique abilities, such as her khdolqj whduv, skbwrnlqhvlv, and of course, her highly resistant, incredibly durable shield. She is a firm, yet merciful leader and a kind, dependable friend; wkhuh duh ihz lq wkh zruog wkdw L'yh frph wr wuxvw dv pxfk dv Urvh Txduwc."_

As difficult to follow as the information was, it still piqued Mabel's curiosity, perhaps even more than it had ever been before. While it seemed that the mysterious author was on good terms with the Gems, or at least was in the past, there was something about it that didn't sit well with her. She questioned why the Gems had kept the author and journal a secret, even to Steven, who spent his whole life with them. Even more so, she didn't understand why the journal was near the Gem temple, without even any traps or monsters to deter potential thieves. Despite the encrypted information, the Gems should've hidden the journal away due to the non-hidden information. Still, it didn't entirely explain why they'd even consent to the author chronicling their species if they wanted it to remain a secret.

It was only as the group approached the Sakana Fruit tree that Mabel came to an abrupt, disconcerting realization. Perhaps the Gems _**did**_ want to keep the journal information a secret. If the author did indeed vanish from under some mysterious circumstances, then it was very likely that the Gems, entrusted with the journal, decided to hide it away near their base, hoping that no one would ever find the book or its secrets, despite the staples and encryption. However, what they hadn't accounted for or known was that it had been found, even though Mabel knew it was by accident. Even so, revealing the journal to the Gems now would've likely ended with them confiscating or destroying the one link Mabel had to the secrecy of the town, a thought that made her sick to her stomach. As such, she decided to keep it a secret to them for now, hoping that she'd solve the mystery of who the author was in her own time.

"Okay, what's the big deal about this tree?" Robbie asked in confusion, which inadvertently made Mabel snap out of her trance.

"You're about to find out." Dipper said as he motioned for Steven to take the reins.

"Oliver, I need you!" Steven cried out, which was met with a period of silence, much to the remaining group's confusion. Before any of them could comment, they felt a rumbling beneath their feet and gasped in shock as Oliver rose from the ground.

"Ah, back again, son of Rose?" Oliver asked warmly. "What can I do for you?"

"Well, you can call me Steven and we need five of the Sakana Fruits." Steven requested, only for Oliver to ignore him and stare at the sky in shock.

"Hey, did you hear him?" Dipper asked in confusion.

"Another Red Eye…after all these years." Oliver said, audibly frightened.

"You know what it is?" Mabel asked as Oliver composed himself.

"Of course, child. I was a witness to the destruction of one, not long after the Gems settled here in Gravity Falls." Oliver revealed as he began his tale. "My people fought valiantly, but none of our assaults made a dent in it. When it seemed all hope was lost, we saw two beams of light in the sky that merged into a giant one that shattered the Red Eye into oblivion. It was only when Rose graced us with her presence that we knew who was responsible. That is why I know the real reason to why you've come here…and why we need Rose's key."

"Wait, what? If I'm reading the clues right, why can't you just give us the light cannon?" Robbie asked as nicely as he could.

"Even though I want to, the cannon is inaccessible without the key." Oliver stated as he hastily grew his vines and plucked five Sakana Fruits from the tree and handed it to each member of the group. "Find the key before it's too late, Steven."

"We will, Oliver. Thank you." Steven said sincerely as the group left, unaware that Lion was watching from the shadows and hastily followed them.

 **Gravity Falls Lake 5:00 PM**

Since getting to the lake on foot would've taken too much time, Mabel managed to ease it by levitating them all to their destination. However, the young girl was visibly tired from that and formed a small nosebleed, which Robbie tended to with some of Connie's tissues. While Mabel was embarrassed by the fact that she had a nosebleed in front of Robbie, she couldn't help but smile as he tended to her. Still, the looming threat of the Red Eye refocused their attention as they stared at the water.

"Okay, this isn't going to be pretty, but it's the best chance we have." Steven said as he eyed his fruit in disgust, remembering its revolting taste.

"It's easier to do this together so, on the count of three, we eat our fruits whole." Dipper stated, with Mabel and Connie forming disgusted expressions, which were only slightly better than Steven and Dipper's own.

However, before they could bite into their fruits, Lion revealed himself, much to Steven's surprise, but Robbie and Mabel's trepidation.

"Lion, were you spying on us? You should get back to temple." Steven commanded, only for Lion to stand his ground.

"You have a pet lion?!" Robbie asked incredulously.

"Yeah, he does, but Lion's harmless…unless he attacks you." Connie said cheerfully, with Robbie laughing nervously.

"Ugh, why is he here?" Mabel asked in dismay, still holding a grudge for what Lion did to her.

Lion lightly growled at the young girl before he lowered himself to the dock's floor, apparently offering them all a ride. Steven frowned at his pet, unwilling to humor him due to the Red Eye. "Lion, we don't have time to play." Steven said patiently. "We need to get to the Kuroko Cave and we have to swim there."

Lion showed no signs of compliance as he practically forced the group onto his back, much to Steven's confusion. He then pointed his nose towards the water insistently, which made Dipper and Connie gasp in amazement.

"Guys, I think Lion's trying to take us to the cave!" Dipper exclaimed eagerly.

"Is that true, Lion?" Connie asked sweetly as she rubbed his pink fur, which Lion begrudgingly accepted.

Lion offered a small roar of confirmation, his tail whipping excitedly as he pointed towards the lake. "Well, if he can take us there, it'd be better than choking down these things again." Steven mused as he and the rest of the group stored the fruits on their person, just in case.

Lion let out a fierce roar as he stared at the lake, running towards the end of the dock, much to the sudden alarm of the group.

"Lion, I know that the cave's underwater, but we can't breathe down there without these fruits!" Steven said, panicked.

"Why is he trying to run us into the lake?!" Mabel asked incredulously.

"Oh, man! I think we have to eat these fruits, now!" Connie yelled in dismay, the four kids turning green in disgust as they pulled out their fruits again.

"Eh, how bad can it be?" Robbie said dismissively as he attempted to eat his fruit, but it turned out to be unnecessary.

Thankfully, before any of the kids or Robbie could experience the bitterness of the Sakana Fruit, they all stopped when they noticed that Lion hadn't dragged them into the lake; instead, he was running upon it. The group glanced down at the water's surface that Lion was dashing across as if it were solid ground, flabbergasted by his ability.

"Awesome!" Dipper and Connie exclaimed in excitement, grinning brightly at what should've been an impossibility.

"What the…? How are we…?" Mabel began to ask in immense confusion before she quickly retracted her many questions. "Ugh, forget it. We've got enough mysteries on our hands."

"You got that right, Mabel." Steven said in awe.

"Man…I _**really**_ should've been on more of your adventures." Robbie mused, knowing that he was the least involved of the group.

Before any members of the group could further soak in the spectacle of Lion running on water, the pastel beast's eyes sudden glowed white as he opened his maw and let out a sonic roar that stopped in the middle of the water. The roar suddenly turned into a pink, circular portal, with the group yelling in fear as Lion ran straight into the void. Mere moments after it had happened, the portal vanished without a trace.

 **Kuroko Cave (Village) 5:03 PM**

Soon enough, the portal appeared in the middle of the Kuroko village, with Lion and the group emerging a few moments after. The portal soon closed behind them, with them all opening their eyes in awe. The Kuroko village had several stone, dome-shaped buildings that were big enough for a typical family, with the largest one, likely where they needed to go, at the far end of the settlement. However, that was undercut with the unnerving sight of the Kuroko people, still encased in stone with terrified expressions on their faces.

"Whoa, what is this place, and what's the deal with the statues?" Robbie asked in confusion as Steven and Dipper formed disturbed expressions while Mabel and Connie formed sympathetic ones.

"This is…horrible." Steven said empathetically as the group got down from Lion.

"Yeah, I mean, the ones who took us deserved it, but did they?" Dipper asked similarly as he gestured to a stone-encased family.

"Based on what you told us, Lapis didn't have a choice." Connie said as she gently held Steven's hand.

"They would've killed you all and the remaining water races of Gravity Falls." Mabel added as she hugged her brother from behind. "I know that I sometimes act cold, but I wouldn't have been able to handle losing you, Dipper."

"The same goes for you, Steven. I…care about you too." Connie said warmly as she absentmindedly increased her grip and formed a small blush.

The boys formed sincere smiles as they returned the girls' actions; Dipper hugged his sister while Steven matched Connie's gesture. The kids stayed in a blissful silence for a few moments before Robbie politely cleared his throat.

"Uh, sorry to kill the mood, but we need to find that golden sword, remember?" Robbie pointed out, with Lion roaring in agreement.

Their interruption made the kids compose themselves as they traversed through the ghost village, now focused on finding Rose's key. However, that didn't stop Dipper or Connie from gushing about what Lion just did.

"Oh, man, that was awesome!" Connie beamed happily. "We literally rode on top of the lake!"

"Not to mention that uber-boss portal we jumped through!" Dipper exclaimed brightly, only for his expression to falter as the group passed more petrified Kuroko. "Oh. Oh, yeah."

"Let's just try not to think about it, okay?" Steven suggested, with Dipper nodding in agreement as they continued towards their destination.

Connie, Mabel, and Robbie remained silent, none of them wanting to risk making the situation worse for the two boys. Soon enough, they arrived at the building, with Lion lightly growling at it in anticipation.

"I think that this is the place." Robbie stated as he attempted to open the door, only for Lion to pull him away by biting into his shirt collar, much to Robbie's confusion.

Before the young teen could express why Lion pulled him away, he got his answer when the ground he stood in front of collapsed, revealing a set of sharp metal spikes at the bottom. Robbie gulped in anxiety, knowing that he wouldn't have survived that.

"Whoa, Lion totally saved your life!" Dipper innocently exclaimed, unaware of Robbie relieved, but horrified expression.

"Uh…y-y-yeah." Robbie said nervously as Lion released his grip and set Robbie safely down on the floor.

"Ugh, I could've saved him too." Mabel said in contempt for Lion, which the pastel beast responded to with a fierce roar that made Mabel's eyes widen in apprehension.

"Lion, be nice." Steven said authoritatively, which made Lion lightly growl in compliance as the group walked around the trap and into the building.

When they entered the building, they all gasped in shock, sans Lion who equivalently growled, at what they were seeing. The room was large, but it seemed void of life since there wasn't a single Kuroko statue anywhere. Fittingly, the group could only make out the golden sword's handle at the absolute end of the room, embedded in a stone block on the ground. Strangely, there seemed to be nothing stopping them from taking a long walk and claiming their prize.

"Whoa, this place is huge!" Dipper vocalized, which was met with an echo throughout the room.

"Awesome! It's big enough to have an echo!" Connie yelled excitedly, which was followed by one of her own.

"Hmm, I don't know about this. It seems…too easy." Robbie said warily.

"I'm with Robbie on this. M-M-Maybe we should ride Lion and teleport to the end of the room." Steven nervously suggested.

"Oh, come on. We don't need that animal." Mabel said dismissively as she walked towards the end of the room to prove her point, with the rest of the group forming nervous expressions.

"Mabel, the Kuroko probably booby-trapped this room! Don't take another step!" Dipper yelled desperately, too concerned to acknowledge his frantic echo.

"Hah! Booby-traps!" Connie said, amused.

"Connie, this is serious!" Steven said through gritted teeth.

"Mabel, you need to come back!" Robbie begged in concern.

"Guys, relax. If there was a trap, don't you think that we'd have…?" Mabel asked dismissively, only to step on a fake tile. Mabel's eyes widened in apprehension as the two walls around her suddenly revealed several holes, which was quickly followed by a maelstrom of darts coming out of them. Mabel shrieked in fear as she telekinetically sent them around the room, either into the holes they came from or into each other. However, in her frantic state of mind, one of the darts struck Lion in the neck, which made the pink creature's eyes widen immensely as he collapsed a few seconds after Mabel dealt with the dart trap.

"Oh, no! Lion!" Steven cried in concern as Mabel formed a remorseful expression and ran towards the group, who were now all gathered around Lion.

Robbie checked on Lion's pulse and sighed in relief when he felt a heartbeat. "It's okay, kids. He's just sleeping."

"Oh, geez. I'm sorry, Steven. I didn't mean to do that." Mabel said apologetically, which the young boy accepted with a smile.

"I know, Mabel." Steven said sincerely, only to form a serious expression. "I'm glad Lion's going to be okay, but you shouldn't have done that."

"I know. That was stupid and reckless after seeing the front door trap." Mabel admitted with a frown.

"It doesn't matter to me. I'm just glad that you're safe." Dipper said sincerely as he embraced his twin sister.

"The important thing is that you learned from it, Mabel. Just like you did with the womanotaurs." Connie added warmly.

"I'm glad that you're okay, cutie, but we have a bigger problem." Robbie said as he eyed across the room. "I don't think that was the only trap down here."

"Oh, man. That's right; there might be worse traps on the way to the sword." Steven said as he broke into a nervous sweat.

"And we don't have Lion to help us, so we're on our own." Connie mused with a caustic frown.

"Any ideas, guys?" Dipper asked as he ended his embrace with Mabel. After a small period of silence, Mabel politely cleared her throat.

"Listen, it was my fault that we lost the easiest way of doing this. I'm going to make it right." Mabel said as she telekinetically lifted herself and the group up, sans the slumbering Lion, but doing so caused a visible strain on the young girl. "I'll levitate us all to the sword and hopefully away from the traps."

"Mabel, you don't need to do this." Robbie said as he laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I still don't know how you're doing this, but I don't think it's good for your body."

"Robbie has a point, Mabel. You don't look so good." Steven added in concern.

"Sis, you got knocked out and had a monster nosebleed today. You shouldn't press your luck." Dipper said caustically.

"Listen to them, Mabel. I felt the same power and I didn't even bother to stick with it because of the headaches." Connie stated as she laid a comforting hand on her other shoulder.

Mabel sighed resignedly and levitated the group down, sans herself, which instantly made her form a relieved expression. "Okay, I'll go there myself and see if I can pull out the sword. If I can't, I'll come back for all of you."

After they wished her good luck with an assuring nod, Mabel levitated herself as high as she could towards the sword. Thankfully, the Kuroko hadn't anticipated a flying threat, so she didn't accidentally activate any traps. Soon enough, she reached the sword and did her best to telekinetically pull it out. Unfortunately, such an action was in vain as the sword refused to budge. After a few moments, Mabel sighed in exasperation, knowing that she couldn't pull out the sword without major physical repercussions, and levitated herself back to the group.

"I need some help." Mabel said simply as the group nodded in agreement to be levitated. Even though she looked worse due to exhausting a lot of her power to pull the sword out, Mabel persevered with a visible and audible strain as she barely managed to get the group towards the sword.

"Mabel, you can let us drop if you want." Dipper offered in concern.

"Thanks, Dipper, but I'll be fine." Mabel said hoarsely as she and rest of the group were now positioned around the sword. "There's no way my power is going to pull out the sword. On the count of three, we pull as hard as we can."

"Okay. Let's just hope that they didn't booby-trap this, too." Steven said in agreement, more than ready to protect them all with his shield if he had to.

With that, the five of them each grabbed part of the sword's handle and pulled as hard as they could. Soon enough, the sword visibly began to move, much to their excitement, sans Mabel who was struggling to stay awake from the intense mental strain. Knowing that they had no time to waste, they continued the sword's extraction as quickly as they could until it was finally freed of its stony tomb. They gasped in shock when they saw the sword, but not out of admiration.

The sword itself resembled a claymore and had a golden handle, but it had a stainless-steel blade with nothing else extraordinary about it. They carefully inspected the sword, out of fear that they might've gotten the wrong one.

"What the? This can't be it!" Dipper said in dismay.

"Lion was the one who led us here. This has to be the right one!" Connie argued, though she had her doubts about the sword herself.

"It doesn't make sense to guard a sword like this if it was useless." Robbie mused with a hint of disbelief.

"Well, it does have a _**golden**_ handle. Maybe it was meant to deter potential thieves if they found this one." Steven hypothesized.

"Solid theory, but we need to get…" Mabel said in exhaustion before the room started to shake.

"Wait, w-w-what's going on?" Steven asked nervously.

"I think the sword did have a trap!" Robbie exclaimed fearfully.

"Well, what could it be?" Dipper asked in trepidation.

"Something tells me we're about to find out." Connie stated anxiously, only for Mabel's power to give out as they all fell onto the thankfully trap-free floor, with them all accidentally losing their grip on the sword as well. They all struggled to stand, except for Mabel who was unconscious with a nosebleed from her power use, which caused Dipper to panic.

"Mabel, wake up! Mabel!" Dipper yelled fearfully, only to settle for lifting Mabel's body, with some help from the group. Robbie gently cradled her in his arms as the front wall started to descend, apparently revealing the trap.

When the wall was gone, the conscious kids and Robbie managed to stand up and saw a pair of glowing red eyes from the shadows. Robbie motioned for the kids to stand behind him as the room shook from what was likely a set of thundering footsteps. When the steps ended, the remnants of the group gasped in shock when they saw the source.

The creature appeared to be a giant, stone turtle, but it wore armor that they could only guess was from ancient Kuroko, as it didn't resemble anything from Earth. However, it soon narrowed its red eyes at the group and menacingly ran towards them, ready to crush them. The group yelled in fear as they ran away, with the traps they set off thankfully attacking the stone guardian, but to no avail.

Lion had recovered enough that his eyes widened in shock as he ran as fast as he could towards the group. He unleashed a sonic roar and leapt through the portal only not to them; but towards the sword, which he quickly grabbed with his mouth before leaping through the same portal again. When he emerged mere moments before the portal closed, he ran towards the group and knelt his head down so that they could mount him.

After they succeeded, Steven grabbed the sword from Lion's mouth, which enabled the pastel beast to roar again and form a portal back home. They barely had enough time for Lion to carry them all through before the stone guardian's foot crushed where they would've been if not for Lion. Fittingly, the portal closed after the guardian pulled back its foot, but believing it had succeeded, the guardian's eyes went black as it returned to its hiding place.

 **Gravity Falls Lake 5:10 PM**

Soon enough, the group arrived at the dock where Lion took them from, all having mixed expressions of fear and relief. After a few moments, Robbie broke the silence.

"I can't believe we just did that." Robbie said, breathless.

"That was totally wicked!" Dipper exclaimed excitedly.

"And incredibly insane!" Connie yelled in relief, unaware that she was crying.

"We're just like Dakota Bones when he stole that artifact in _Thieves of the Missing Ship_!" Steven shouted in rare amazement.

"Yeah, but we did it without leaving something in its place." Mabel said wearily as she opened her eyes and rubbed her head, much to everyone's relief.

"Mabel, you're okay!" Dipper and Robbie yelled, relieved as they embraced the young girl, which made her form an embarrassed blush, due to her physical contact with Robbie.

"Wow, Lion might've saved us, but you're the reason why we got the sword in the first place, Mabel!" Steven praised as he held out the sword for emphasis.

"It looks like Lion was right after all. That trap wouldn't have activated if the sword wasn't the real deal." Connie mused as she affectionately rubbed the pink feline's fur, which he begrudgingly accepted.

"Yeah, you guys make a great team!" Dipper innocently stated as he and Robbie ended their embrace with Mabel.

"Uh…I guess we do." Mabel said hesitantly towards Lion, who only responded with a snort of derision. "I'm not sure if you can understand me, but…I'm sorry."

Lion merely gave an apathetic roar, which Mabel interpreted as progress. Still, they didn't have any more time to bask in their victory as they all returned their gaze towards the moving Red Eye, which reminded them of the task at hand.

"Oh, man! We've got to see that plant man and give him that key!" Robbie yelled frantically.

"His name is Oliver, and yes, we do." Steven stated as he then looked at his pink friend. "Lion, we need to get to the forest. Mabel's too exhausted to use her powers right now, okay?"

Lion gave a roar of affirmation as he created another portal, only instead of jumping through it, motioned for the group to descend from him. While Steven was unsure why Lion didn't want to come with them, he merely petted the pastel beast in gratitude before he and the rest of them jumped through the portal.

 **Gravity Falls Forest 5:12 PM**

The group soon emerged from the portal in front of the Sakana Fruit tree, with Oliver nowhere in sight. After the portal closed, the sword's handle started glowing a bright yellow, with Oliver emerging from the ground the second it did.

"Marvelous. You've returned so quickly with the key." Oliver said in admiration as the sword's handle levitated on its own towards him. When it was in his hands, the sword's metal shattered, it's handle spared as it transformed into small golden key.

"Whoa." The group said in awed unison.

"Thank you and now your reward." Oliver said sincerely as walked over towards the tree, knelt a few feet in front of it, and brushed his vines over a hidden metal hatch until he found a small key hole. When he inserted the key and turned it, he stepped back as the hatch opened and revealed the treasure that would save the town.

"The cannon!" The kids cheered triumphantly at the sight of the identical cannon, while Robbie could only stare in shock.

"I think that this has been the coolest day of my life." Robbie said in awe.

"Well, it's not over yet, Robbie! We have a cannon to deliver!" Dipper proclaimed eagerly as he attempted to move the cannon himself, but to no avail.

"Uh, Dipper…you aren't strong enough to do that yourself." Steven good-naturedly pointed out.

"How else are we going to blow up the Red Eye?" Connie asked in confusion as she attempted to help Dipper.

"My powers are out of the question. I think I've done enough telekinesis for one day." Mabel admitted wearily.

"Even with all five of us, I don't think we'd get it to the Gems in time." Robbie stated as he did calculations in his head.

"If I may, Steven?" Oliver requested, which drew all their attention towards him. "Your mother saved the lives of my people, who reside in the ground below. It would be an honor to return the favor."

Steven merely smiled brightly at him and said, "If you can handle it, go for it, Oliver."

"Thank you, my friend." Oliver said sincerely as he effortlessly lifted the cannon with his vines and followed the group's lead towards the Gems.

It took a while, but soon enough, the kids, Robbie, and Oliver managed to spot the Gems, Greg, and Ford afar in the distance, all except Ford turned towards the approaching Red Eye with immense concern. "Guys, we made it and we brought a friend!" Dipper called out loudly to the observing group, which somehow managed to catch their attention amidst the high gales pulling everything towards the crimson orb.

The Gems and Greg let out a collective gasp as they turned towards the kids, Robbie and Oliver; the Gems especially shocked to see the cannon and Oliver. "Okay, as amazing as this is, why is there a vine monster carrying the cannon?" Peridot questioned with a bemused expression.

"My name is Oliver. They needed my help." Oliver answered simply, which made Peridot shrug in indifference knowing they had bigger things to worry about.

"We knew you guys could do it!" Lapis cheered enthusiastically, rushing towards the kids alongside Jasper and Peridot to help them as Oliver relinquished his grip on the cannon. Ford merely waved happily at the group, though from behind as his migraines were getting worse.

"How did you guys find it and who's this guy?" Greg asked in confusion at the sight of the Laser Light Cannon and Oliver.

"The answer to both is that it's a long story…" Mabel said in brief exhaustion, unaware that her nose started to bleed again, with Dipper providing the tissues from Connie this time.

"I'm glad that you're all kicking, but we don't have time to waste, cubs." Jasper said urgently as she looked towards the sky with an angered expression. "That Red Eye's going down." Quickly, the Gem leader used her formidable strength and heaved up the cannon, though she still struggled from the size and weight.

Even though they weren't as strong as Jasper, the Gems, Greg, Robbie, the kids, Oliver, and even Ford who returned to help, did their best to equalize its weight as they carried it along the rest of the path. They dropped the second cannon off right beside its twin, which was already positioned towards the Red Eye, which was now dangerously close with no signs of going back into space.

"Hang on, why aren't these cannons firing?" Ford asked in confusion, only for his migraines to return heavily when he looked at them.

"Wait, don't any of you know how these cannons work?" Mabel asked worriedly. "You know like a secret button, or switch, or even a phrase?"

"We…don't know how they work!" Jasper gasped in fearful realization, panicking as she looked at Peridot and Lapis for an answer, which neither of them could give. "They were Rose's!"

"Dad, do you have any idea?" Steven quickly asked his father, who could only shrug sheepishly, knowing nothing on how the cannons worked.

"Oliver, you saw these cannons in action the last time. Don't _**you**_ know?" Mabel hopefully asked, only to get a similar response from the vine creature.

"Steven…Little Cub…this is bad." Jasper said seriously as she knelt to his eye level with a concerned expression. However, that quickly faded when she noticed that the winds were blowing his dual shirts a bit to reveal the gem upon his navel. "Your gem…Rose's Gem!"

"That's it!" Lapis proclaimed as she lifted Steven up, despite having the least knowledge on what was going on. Still, Steven didn't protest much as the blue Gem thrust him against one of the cannons, rubbing his gem up and down along the cannon's length. When that didn't work, she groaned in exasperation as she gently let him down. "Ugh, I thought that would've worked!"

"Well, obviously it didn't!" Peridot exclaimed in frustration, angered that Lapis had handled Steven like that. "We need to make a better plan!"

"I think that was the only plan, so what do we do now?" Connie asked with palpable concern.

"Let's just forget about the cannons!" Lapis exclaimed, now-angered by Peridot. "Let me use all the water here and blast it away to buy us time!"

"There's no way that would work. Besides, the environmental damage would take years to recover from." Peridot scolded firmly, knowing that they were out of real options now.

"So, this is how the world ends." Ford said stoically. "Not with a bang, but with a town-destroying explosion."

"Isn't that technically a bang, Prof. Pines?" Robbie asked in confusion, though his apprehension showed just as much as the others did.

"We shouldn't give up hope!" Peridot stated as she gripped onto one of the cannons desperately. "It's just…we need to… Oh, we need Rose!" she admitted again as she pulled her hair in frustration.

As the adults and Gems of the group broke down intro arguments about what to do about the Red Eye, the kids, Robbie, and Oliver stood by in absolute shock, none of them willing to believe that their efforts were apparently in vain. The Red Eye now encompassed the entire sky above the forest, drowning everything in its sinister red glow as it stared at the people of the town with some hidden intent. It soon started to displace gravity as it got closer, to the point that it began to pull the cannons themselves along the forest floor. However, the Gems and Oliver restrained them while the latter returned to their now-pointless debate.

"This…this isn't happening. This can't be happening!" Mabel said fearfully, realizing that their efforts today might've been meaningless.

"It's happening, sis. So, what do we do?" Dipper asked in trepidation, hoping that his older sister would have an answer like she always did when was scared.

"I…I don't know this time, Dipper." Mabel answered hesitantly, only to gasp in shock. "Wait, the journal might have something on this! Dipper, Connie, help me look through the pages!"

Neither of them objected to this plan as Mabel, making sure the Gems wouldn't notice, turned and discretely flipped to the Gem section of the journal for answers. The trio peered as carefully and as quickly as they could over every page, but the information they found was only about stuff they knew, much to their despair and dread. However, Steven managed to put an end to this futile search as he gently, but awkwardly, hugged them all and gave them a sincere, yet sad expression that told them everything that they already knew.

"Guys…I think this our last stand." Steven muttered as he ended the embrace and held out his hand to them all.

Mabel, Dipper, and Connie froze upon hearing this, the fear and desperation in their faces evenly matched as they looked at what would likely be their inevitable demise. Still, even though the situation seemed hopeless, Steven had one idea that was a long shot at best.

Steven remained silent towards the quarreling Gems, Ford, or Oliver as he approached the cannons, ignoring the vine sensations on one of them as he placed a hand on each of them. "Come on, please!" Steven stated in solemn desperation, speaking to the cannons themselves. "You guys _**need**_ to work! Unlock, activate, do something! Everyone needs you to step up now! My friends got us this far, so you can't quit now! For once, don't be useless! I know you can help!"

Despite Steven's words, the cannons refused to fire, which sunk Oliver's heart that he couldn't help the child of Rose Quartz. In fact, it seemed as if he, and quite likely the rest of his species, would be wiped out by the very thing that Rose saved them from all those years ago. However, he wasn't the only one who noticed Steven's despair, since Greg hadn't been fighting or was suffering from a crippling migraine. Greg could stand to see his only son so upset, even though he knew that it probably wouldn't matter in a few moments. "Son, it's okay!" Greg consoled with a soft grin as he placed a hand on his forlorn son shoulder. "We'll figure out something else. Something even cooler."

Upon receiving these reassuring words, Steven perked up slightly, having absolute faith in his dad when it came to these kinds of things. "R-R-Right. I-If every pork chop were perfect, we wouldn't have hot dogs." Steven said shakily as he wiped away some of his tears.

Suddenly, Steven let out a surprised gasp as both cannons began to glow in tandem with each other, which immediately caught the attention of the kids, Robbie, and Oliver, who almost let them go in shock. "Holy Moses!" Dipper exclaimed excitedly as he pulled his sister along with him as he rushed towards Steven, Connie following with equal excitement. "Guys, the cannons are working!"

"What?!" the Gems exclaimed in unified alarm, all of them spinning around to see the cannons unlock. Simultaneously, the cannons' muzzles began to open in a way that resembled a rose blooming, with Oliver relinquishing most of his grip in shock. When they were fully opened, the mouths of the cannon glowed even brighter, meaning that they were charging up, even though the barrels quickly collapsed from the lack of support. Knowing what he had to, Steven quickly reached under one of the cannons, doing his best to lift the heavy barrel as much as he could.

"Everyone, hurry!" Mabel urged the rest of the group, even as the twins, Connie, Robbie, and Greg rushed to the young Gem's aid. "We need to help Steven!"

The rest of the group didn't hesitate to comply, the Gems using their combined strength to tilt the cannon that Greg and Steven were struggling with. Though the twins, Connie, and Robbie di their best to pull the second cannon up, they didn't make much progress until Ford and Oliver helped push it from the back. Soon enough, both cannons were aimed at the Red Eye, making the ground shake with its proximity, but now they were ready for it. The cannons muzzles glowed radiantly, the magical energy on the verge of causing destruction as everyone clung onto them for dear life.

"Kids, I don't know how I know this, but this is going to be loud!" Ford shouted in concern, somehow knowing that the cannons were reaching their apex.

"I think this is it!" Peridot called over the sound of the racing winds and trembling earth. Indeed, the cannons themselves began to shake because of the power contained with them, the saving blast mere moments away from being released.

"Brace yourselves!" Jasper ordered firmly, though her voice was soon drowned out as the cannons finally unleashed their amazing power.

The cannons fired in harmony with a deafening boom as dual bursts of pale pink light raced forth from the muzzles, pushing the cannons a bit from the sheer force of the blast. However, the entire group watched in silence as the pair of lights began to spiral around each other, dancing beautifully as they sailed towards the Red Eye with intense speed. As they approached their target, the beams both split apart in a dazzling flash before each of the four lights morphed themselves into a vague, strangely feminine shape. Still, the beams continued to spiral towards the Red Eye until, at long last, the blast struck the orb in its pupil, spreading across its surface quickly and powerfully. Briefly, the scarlet light of the Red Eye was drowned in white as the invading orb was torn apart by the force of the blast until it finally exploded.

The world returned to its normal coloration, only now with the real twilight colors as the sun began to set, and winds stirred up by the Red Eye went still as large debris began to rain down from the forest, a few pieces even falling into town itself. Thankfully, none of the debris struck the group, cannons, or the townspeople as they watched the aftermath of the explosion.

"Whoa, did we just…?" Mabel asked in disbelief.

"You bet we did, sis!" Dipper cheered in triumph as he pulled Steven, Mabel, and Connie into a tight hug. "We did it! We saved the town!"

"You know it, Dipper!" Connie yelled in agreement.

"But, this doesn't make any sense…" Peridot said, still a bit shaken from the events of today. "How did you get them to work?"

"I just said that thing my dad always says." Steven innocently shrugged.

"That old proverb about pork rinds?" Peridot asked, raising an eyebrow in disbelief.

"Hot dogs." Jasper halfheartedly corrected, placing a hand on the green Gem's shoulder.

Even though the conversation was focused on him, Greg's gaze was focused on the sunset skies above, where, just moments ago, the glorious lights of the cannon had taken on an undeniably familiar form. "Rose…" Greg whispered reverently, tears forming in his eyes as he pondered that, even though Rose was gone, she pulled through one last time for them all.

"Well, I had my doubts, kids…but you two made me prouder to be your grunkle." Ford said sincerely as he approached the twins. "I'm glad that you two and your friends helped save the day."

"Aw, thanks, Grunkle Ford!" Dipper and Mabel said affectionately as the three engaged in a warm embrace.

"Hold on, where'd you kids and Robbie even find the other cannon anyway?" Lapis asked them curiously.

"Oh, well we found out where it was from…" Steven began to explain, though he cut himself off as he glanced over at Mabel, who shook his head warningly before the young Gem could mention the journal. Despite what they'd gone through today, she had no intention of telling the Gems about the journal, even though she hadn't had time to properly communicate these worries to Steven. Fortunately, the young Gem was just as apprehensive about sharing the journal and Robbie knew better than to spill one of Mabel's secrets. "Um…Lion and Oliver helped us find it!" Steven stated, hoping that it would be enough of an answer. "It was somewhere in the woods and they showed it to us!"

"Oh, yeah! We never would've found it without their help!" Robbie chimed in quickly.

"Wait, didn't we find out where it was in the…?" Dipper started to correct them out of confusion before Mabel quickly silenced him by slapping a hand over his mouth before he could finish, bewildering the boy more.

"Uh, yeah! They totally helped us!" Connie said quickly, having managed to connect the dots that they wanted to keep the journal secret.

"Well, regardless of how you found it, I can't tell all five of you how proud and grateful we are." Peridot smiled, speaking for Lapis and Jasper, who both shared her feelings. "It was wrong for us to underestimate any of you. We're sorry."

"Yeah, you five are a pretty great team, even though Robbie's like the fifth ranger or something." Lapis chuckled, giving each of them a fond hair tousle. "We might need your help again if we're fighting a monster or something!"

The group got a good laugh at this, though the thought excited the kids as they realized this was a turning point for them. It was a sign that the Gems would take them seriously from now on and maybe even tag along on the more dangerous missions. However, Steven was stirred from his thoughts as he awkwardly rubbed his left arm and said, "Guys, we just saved the town from a Red Eye and found my mom's Laser Light Cannons. Shouldn't we, you know…party?"

The Gems, kids, Robbie, and Ford looked at the young Gem in shock, which made him feel uneasy. He was tempted to go back on his words, but Dipper suddenly embraced him with an elated expression.

"Oh, yeah! We can order pizza, watch movies, invite some girls…it'll be great!" Dipper yelled in excitement, which made Steven's eyes widen in apprehension.

"Don't push it, Dipper." Steven stated with finality, which was ignored as Dipper continued to hug him.

"I still have emergency party supplies back at Grunkle Ford's house! Mabel, Connie, I'll need your help to set it up!" Dipper declared as he ran off in excitement, much to the amusement of the girls.

"He's a total goof-bag, isn't he?" Connie asked playfully.

"Yeah, but he's _**my**_ goof-bag." Mabel said sincerely before she turned to Robbie with a blush and said, "Uh, you want in on this, Robbie?"

"I did make a promise." Robbie said with a smile, remembering what he'd suggested after Mabel saved them all from Ellis Darrow, which made Mabel's heart flutter before she ran with Connie to go help Dipper.

Realizing that he left someone out, Steven turned towards Oliver, who hadn't moved from his spot after seeing the cannons go off.

"Uh, are you okay, Oliver?" Steven asked in concern.

"Thank you for this, Steven. I…never thought I would see that wonderful light again." Oliver said sincerely as he turned towards the boy and said, "For what it's worth, your mother would be so proud of you."

"That goes for all of us, son." Greg added as he gestured towards the Gems and Ford, all of whom were smiling at the young boy.

"Thanks guys." Steven said breathlessly, unaware that he was crying as he formed the biggest smile he made in front of people.

As the tender moment continued, Steven looked at the sunset skies again, filled with hope that this was just the beginning. After all, winter had just started, and despite everything they'd all gone through so far, he knew that there was plenty of magic and mystery to come.

 **Unknown Location (Unknown Time)**

"RED EYE OFFLINE. SCAN FAILED."

"Hmm, well that's disappointing. I wonder who I'll have to shatter for that."

" _Oh, that's your answer for everything, Yellow."_

"Well, well, well, it's _**you**_ again. Come to rain on my parade, demon? If you are, someone already beat you to the punch."

" _Not at all, dearest. You're a mad titan, yes, but even I feel the need to check up on you."_

"Ugh, you've always been a killjoy. If I could shatter you, I would."

" _I can sense that you're upset about the Red Eye. If I oversaw your forces, I wouldn't do such a mediocre job."_

"Over my shattered gem, Cipher! A stuffed shirt like you could never handle my army!"

" _Ah, anger. An ugly emotion, if you ask me. Of course, I don't expect much from any of you three-dimensional creatures."_

"Oh, stop it with the superiority act! Why are you even here?!"

" _I came to say that there's a good reason why your Red Eye went offline."_

"What are you talking about?"

" _What I'm saying is that someone destroyed it, my dear Yellow."_

"That's impossible! There's nothing on that Gem-forsaken planet that could destroy a Red Eye!"

" _Oh, there is, dearest. However, I don't think that it's wise to say anything about it…for now."_

"Is that it, demon?!"

" _Not at all, Yellow. There's also the matter of our…deal. The time is coming, my dearest."_

"Really, after all these years?"

" _But of course. What purpose would I have to lie to you? After all, you're a natural leader."_

"You've got that right, Cipher. Still, I need to know about the Cluster soon. I'll have to send out one of my agents to reestablish the warp stream…probably the one that's so eager to please any Diamond."

" _Exactly, my dear. With your forces, you'll have that "revenge" you've been searching for since the Gem War."_

"I don't appreciate you belittling my reasons, Cipher. Whoever destroyed the Red Eye is an enemy of Homeworld, and you know what we do to our enemies. The Earth will pay for this in blood."

 **AN: Well, this was an interesting chapter for me to write and I'm very pleased with how it turned out. It's still and honor and pleasure to do this, Minijen, and I'll continue to do my best.**

 **So, rate, review, and I'll be back with the next chapter as soon as I can. It's one that's been a long time coming, even though it'll be one of my creepier chapters which is mostly because of the personality swap nature of this story and it'll kill me to do that to one of my canon ships.**

 **Next time—Chapter 8: The Hand the Rocks the Dipper**


	8. The Hand that Rocks the Dipper

**AN: Hello, everyone! I'm pleased with the feedback of this story since the last chapter. I thank you all for your support. This is also likely going to be my last one for a while since school is starting soon. And now, it's time to unleash something that will both kill me and excite me.**

 **Now, the adventure continues!**

Momswap Rises

Chapter 8: The Hand that Rocks the Dipper

 **Ford's House 1** **st** **Floor (Living Room) 2:37 PM**

It was a snowy Saturday in Gravity Falls and the twins decided to enjoy a simple day of watching TV. After saving the town from the Red Eye and throwing a decent after-party, the twins were grateful that they could enjoy their break and invited Steven and Connie to join them. Steven and Connie brought their respective musical instruments, with Dipper and Mabel surprised that Connie knew how to play the violin. At mostly Dipper's urging, the duo performed an instrumental song that was met with praise from the twins when it was over, despite its unlikely combination.

"Whoa! That was awesome!" Dipper praised as he loudly clapped his hands.

"I really didn't expect that. You guys rocked." Mabel admitted with a controlled expression, though it was clear that she enjoyed it as much as Dipper.

"Thanks. M-M-My dad taught me how to play this when I was little." Steven said nervously, unaccustomed to outside praise.

"Don't be so modest, Steven. I may have had a teacher, but you can come up with songs on the fly if you wanted." Connie stated with a sincere expression, which made Steven blush heavily.

"You know, you guys have a really unique sound. Maybe Mabel and I could help you work on a lyrical song." Dipper suggested, though Mabel only formed a good-natured smile towards her brother.

"I appreciate the enthusiasm Dipper, but I don't think we'd be that much help." Mabel said, trying to let her brother down gently.

"We totally could be! After all, you know how to play the sousaphone!" Dipper protested, which made Mabel form an embarrassed blush as Steven and Connie formed confused expressions.

"Okay, first, we'd love to have you guys over to help. That s-s-song was pretty amazing." Steven said, mildly nervous.

"Oh, yeah!" Dipper agreed cheerfully.

"Secondly…" Connie trailed off as she suppressed a guilty laugh at Mabel's expense, "You know how to play the sousaphone, Mabel?"

Mabel groaned in exasperation, wishing that her brother hadn't revealed that information. "Yeah…our parents forced me to learn it." Mabel admitted hesitantly.

"True, but she's really good at it, too!" Dipper goaded happily. "Hey, you guys could totally play in an awesome ukulele-violin-sousaphone trio together!"

Though Connie formed an excited expression with such an idea, with Steven having a more subdued expression, Mabel wasn't as eager. "I-I-I don't know if t-t-that's such a good…." Mabel nervously trailed off, with her protests thankfully cut off by the blaring TV, which caught everyone's attention. The four kids turned to the screen in curious confusion, intrigued by the commercial that was playing.

The first image depicted a handful of doves being released as it then shifted to an immensely distraught actor, who was sobbing incoherently. _"Are you miserable?"_ the announcer sweetly asked.

" _Yes!"_ the actor answered through melodramatic tears.

" _Then have you tried seeing…?"_ the announcer dropped down to a dramatic whisper as a vague silhouette appearing on-screen. _"Pacifica?"_

"Pacifica?" Mabel asked in confusion. "How is that a real name?"

"Yeah, and what's so special about her?" Connie added similarly.

"Well, it apparently is and I-I-I know her!" Steven chimed nervously. "She's a…"

" _She's a hypnotist."_ the announcer revealed before the young half-Gem could. The twins and Connie shared an intrigued glance at this, though they weren't sure if they could buy this impressive claim, even as the commercial continued. _"So, if you want to forget your troubles, hurry on over to Pacifica's House of Hypnotism for an evening of magic and delight for all ages!"_

"Whoa, I'm getting curious here, guys!" Dipper exclaimed happily. "Whoever this Pacifica is, she sounds totally mysterious!"

"Steven, you know Pacifica?" Mabel asked inquisitively. "Is she the real deal?"

"Well…I've only been to one of her shows and that was months ago. She _**seemed**_ like a real hypnotist…" Steven admitted as she shrugged halfheartedly. "The Gems and my dad don't seem to think so, though. I think that they've been around enough to know what's possible in Gravity Falls."

"They're not the only ones, Steven," Ford stated as he walked in the room, having overheard most of their conversation. "Don't ask me why, but there's something rotten about that girl."

"So…is she a hypnotist or not?" Connie asked, still unsure on the truth,

"I say we find out for ourselves!" Mabel said eagerly, with the kids entirely on-board. Unfortunately, Ford wasn't as enthusiastic.

"Kids, listen to me; I've been around here enough to know that there's something dangerous about Pacifica. As strange as it seems, she's like a Siren; pretty, but deadly." Ford said warily as he narrowed his eyes at the commercial in contempt. "I know this mostly applies to the twins, but I don't want any of you in her house."

With nothing more to say, Ford left the room, intent on working on an invention in his room, unsure if the kids would even listen to his warning. However, the kids were still intrigued on seeing this hypnotist for themselves, regardless of Ford's warning.

"Does it count if it's her job in a different home?" Mabel asked caustically once Ford was out of earshot.

"I'm…not sure." Steven replied uncertainly.

"Well, if you're not sure…" Connie said with a growing smirk.

"Well, I think we've just found our loophole!" Dipper cheered as he held out a string tied into a loop knot. "Literally!"

The kids all got a good laugh out of this as they headed outside to play in the snow, though none of them were around to hear the House of Hypnotism's ad stinger as they planned to go there tonight. _"So, come on down, everyone. Pacifica wants to help you forget…"_

 **House of Hypnotism 8:42 PM**

Excited by their forbidden escapade, the kids only allowed the Gems and Robbie to accompany them, the latter coming out of curiosity and the former with some coercion from Steven and Connie. However, since Steven knew that the Gems wouldn't have approved of coming here, he convinced Connie to keep it a secret until they arrived. Upon seeing the House of Hypnotism, which was a former one-story schoolhouse that was decorated with gaudy decorations of purple and gold, the Gems were unamused that they'd been tricked.

"Ugh, this place?" Lapis groaned in exasperation as the group entered the tent. "Steven, you're smart enough to know that Pacifica's a two-bit fake. Let's just go home and watch old anime or something."

"As much as I appreciate that you're out of the house, Steven, I have to agree with Lapis." Peridot said as she formed a distasteful frown. "Hypnotism is nothing but cheap parlor tricks meant to fool dumb humans."

"I know, but I-I-I wanted to see for myself." Steven nervously said as the Gems reluctantly took their seats with the rest of the group. "I-I-I know it's not real, but let's just watch, okay?"

Meanwhile, the twins and Connie were glancing around the small building curiously, knowing that despite its relatively simple setup, almost everyone in town showed up. "Whoa, it's amazing how many people showed up for this," Connie remarked. "I wonder if this has anything to do with Pacifica being authentic or not."

"Trust us, she's not a real hypnotist." Jasper deadpanned, her arms crossed as she struggled to keep up appearances for Steven.

"Hey, I think it's starting!" Dipper said in hushed excitement as spotlights flooded the stage.

"Let's see what Pacifica looks like…" Mabel muttered skeptically as the crowd quieted down, wondering just as much as the other kids on why Ford disliked Pacifica so much.

The crowd held their breath in baited anticipation as a thin, curvy silhouette appeared behind the curtain, though it gradually resembled a child as it stepped forward. However, as the curtains pulled back, Dipper, Mabel, and Connie were surprised to see what Pacifica looked like in the flesh. She was around their age with fair skin, long blonde hair with the top part of it pointed slightly upwards, and dark blue eyes. She wore purple eyeliner with a matching hairbow, yellow triangle earrings, black opera gloves, a gaudy ankle-length dress with a purple, white, and black color scheme scattered throughout the design, and black boots. Oddly, she had yellow celestial symbols on her dress with yellow triangle-shaped tassels, and an oval, amethyst gem with a yellow ring underneath her neck.

"Hello, everyone!" Pacifica greeted, revealing her valley girl voice. "My name is literally Pacifica Pleasure!" The audience cheered excitedly as the young hypnotist took out her signature golden watch from her dress.

" _ **That's**_ who Grunkle Ford wanted to warn us about?" Mabel asked in disbelief.

"She seems to be the typical, ditzy valley girl you see in movies." Connie added, unsure of what threat she could pose.

"Yeah, it's basically what she did the last time I saw her." Steven commented as he turned towards Dipper, who was oddly quiet during her introduction. "Dipper, what do you think?"

Dipper simply watched Pacifica intently, a lump forming in his throat for the first time in a long time. He felt his heart race as he broke into a light sweat, unable to speak or turn his gaze away from the girl. After a few moments, Dipper formed a goofy grin and warm blush before he said, "Wow to the wow."

Before any members of the group could stir Dipper out of his daze, Pacifica's performance continued.

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, it is, like, such an honor to have you here tonight!" Pacifica announced cheerfully. "Now, as usual, I'll need a volunteer from the audience!"

Suddenly, the entire crowd erupted into a frenzy as most of them raised their hands, desperate for Pacifica to pick them. As part of the process, she pretended to scout around the audience and pick her favorite to volunteer. However, she couldn't help but pause when she saw Dipper staring at her amorously, which made her form a flirtatious smile. Unfortunately, Dipper misinterpreted her and hastily looked away.

"Oh, dang it! Now she'll never talk to me!" Dipper softly chastised himself, however, his expression turned hopeful when Pacifica made her announcement.

"You, in the blue shirt with a star symbol and a bandage on your face! Come over here!" Pacifica yelled as she pointed at him, which made the crowd gasp as a spotlight shone on Dipper.

The young boy gasped in shock as he pointed to himself, unsure on how he got her attention. After some prodding from the audience, Dipper willed himself to the stage and formed a blush so red that the group could see it from the back row. When he came face-to-face with Pacifica, he could only manage a series of mumbles, which the young girl good-naturedly laughed at.

"Like, who are you?" Pacifica asked as she played with her hair and shot him a flirtatious wink.

"Uh…D-Dipper Pines." Dipper answered nervously as Pacifica extended her left hand towards him.

"Well, come on. Don't be shy." Pacifica sweetly goaded as Dipper slowly, gingerly took her hand and was swiftly hoisted onto the stage.

"Whoa, you've got a really good arm, Pacifica." Dipper said breathlessly.

"Now, don't worry and just look at the watch." Pacifica said as she waved the watch in front of Dipper's eyes, with him following it intently. After doing it for the third time, Dipper instantly fell asleep on his feet, much to the audience's surprise. She then whispered something in his right ear before snapping her fingers, which instantly woke him up.

"Uh, what just happened?" Dipper asked, semi-playfully as he looked at Pacifica.

"Now, sing and dance for us…Dippy." Pacifica stated, which instantly made Dipper's pupils shrink as he suddenly complied.

" _Ain't no loving my man, shoowab, shoowab. O-o-o-o, ain't no loving my man, shoowab, shoowab!"_ Dipper sang femininely as he broke into a strange dance, much to the audience's enjoyment as they applauded him, except for Mabel who could only blush immensely in embarrassment for her brother.

"Oh, come on. Didn't I ask you to kill me when I was on the bus to this town?" Mabel lightly whispered towards the ceiling.

" _Ain't no loving that man! Shoowab, shoowab, o-o-o-o!"_ Dipper continued to sing and dance, only for Pacifica to snap her fingers, which brought him out of his trance.

"Let's all, like, give a hand for Dipper Pines, everyone!" Pacifica exclaimed as she took a sweeping bow, with the audience wildly applauding her and Dipper. "Now, drive home safely, everyone! And totes don't forget to buy some Pacifica Pleasure merchandise on the way out! Goodnight!"

The audience continued to cheer for the child hypnotist even as she headed offstage and the show concluded. Connie was caught up in the excitement as she joined the raptured applause, even as Dipper awkwardly made his way back, unsure of what just happened. Soon enough, the Gems announced that it was time to go, with Robbie practically prying the young girl away as they left.

"At least it lasted less this time…" Peridot said in exasperation as the group left the tent.

"I'm with you on that, Peri. Fancy watch or not, she's not a real hypnotist." Lapis added as she rolled her eyes.

"Then what was the deal with Dipper performing like that?" Steven asked curiously.

"Eh, Pacifica probably promised him a kiss or something." Jasper guessed dismissively.

"We appreciate the evening here, Steven, but we see more interesting things that a charlatan hypnotist." Peridot reminded the young boy with a warm smile.

"Yeah, maybe someday we'll tell you how we found and befriended the Abominable Bro-man." Lapis said with a wry grin as she lovingly carried Steven, which made them all warmly laugh.

"Man, I don't know how she got you to do that song, bro, but I don't think she's a real hypnotist." Mabel said playfully as she tousled Dipper's hair, joining in the Gems' levity.

"That's where you're wrong, Mabel. I…don't really know how she got me to do that." Dipper replied in a mix of confusion and infatuation.

"Huh, looks like you're not the only one with a crush this winter, eh Mabel?" Connie asked rhetorically, which made Mabel form an intense blush, knowing that Robbie was here, even though he was out of earshot.

"Connie, be quiet about that." Mabel quietly requested before she composed herself and said, "Well, whatever the case, I don't think Pacifica's a big threat to anyone."

"Except to Dipper's heart." Connie lightly joked, which made the young boy form a small blush of embarrassment.

"Yeah, yeah." Dipper laughed as he playfully shoved Connie, much to the young girl's amusement. As the group went their separate ways for home, none of them were aware of Pacifica watching from the House of Hypnotism, who was filled with jealousy and infatuation all at once.

 **Ford's House 1** **st** **Floor (Living Room) 8:45 AM**

The next morning, Mabel looked over the journal once more, only this time with the intent of attempting to decode the cryptograms interspersed throughout the Gems' entries. Unfortunately, she didn't get very far as Dipper hurried in from upstairs, now clad in skateboard gear.

"Dipper, what are you doing?" Mabel asked in slight concern, knowing Dipper's reckless nature when it came to stunts.

"Hey, relax. I'm just going to the park to shred with my skateboard and I'm wearing protective gear." Dipper revealed as he grabbed his neon blue skateboard from behind the TV.

"You haven't skated since we got here. Why now?" Mabel asked in confusion.

"Well, I did a bunch of cool stunts back home, but when I ran out of ideas, I stopped skating." Dipper revealed as he now held up a grappling hook. "Now with this sweet grappling hook, I can dominate a whole new area of skating!"

"Dipper, where'd you even get that?!" Mabel asked in sisterly concern.

"Grunkle Ford got it for me the other day." Dipper answered with a hint of pride, only for the doorbell to interrupt any further conversation between the twins.

"Kids, one of you answer the door! I'm working on breakfast!" Ford called from the kitchen, clad in his pajamas and a white apron.

"Oh, sweet! It's got to be Steven and Connie!" Dipper yelled chipperly, remembering that the two wanted to hang out again. "I'll get it!" Dipper replied as he ran from the door and flung it open, only to see the lovely vision from last night mere inches away from his face.

"Oh, hi Dipper." Pacifica said flirtatiously, which made Dipper form a warm blush and goofy smile.

Dipper did his best to respond, but any words he could say came out as a bunch of incoherent mumbles, which did nothing to damper Pacifica's interest in him.

"You are something else, Dipper Pines. You're literally chipper, goofy, and incredibly cute." Pacifica complimented, which only worsened Dipper's demeanor towards her.

"If that's a Jehovah's Witness out there, tell them we're not interested!" Ford called from inside the house, which stirred Dipper from his daze. "When they don't leave, take out the shovel!"

"Uh, no one's at the door, Grunkle Ford!" Dipper replied as casually as he could. "I uh…think that some kids were playing ding-dong-ditch!"

"Figures! Those punks don't leave me alone at all, especially during Winterween!" Ford stated bitterly as he continued cooking.

"Thanks for the discretion, Dipper." Pacifica said politely. "I don't know why, but Ford literally thinks something's wrong with me. I don't understand how a man so bitter can be related to a boy so sweet."

"Oh, uh…thanks, Pacifica." Dipper said as he let out a nervous laugh.

"You know, maybe we should go out and leave so we can, like, know each other better." Pacifica suggested. "Maybe in my…dressing room? A boy like you should have a wardrobe that matches your personality."

"Whoa, that sounds nice!" Dipper said in excitement, only to form a small frown. "Oh, hang on…I was waiting for Steven and Connie to come over so we could hang out. They should be coming soon."

"Oh…" Pacifica frowned, the smallest hint of contempt in her tone, though Dipper hardly noticed it. "Well, if you're, like, expecting company, then I literally understand. I should totes leave."

Dipper bit his lip apprehensively as Pacifica turned to leave, not wanting to turn down time with the enchanting girl. "Pacifica, wait!" he called to her before she could get too far, reacting in an impulsive decision. After all, Steven and Connie were reasonable people and he knew that they'd likely understand why he wanted to spend time with Pacifica. "I'm sure they won't mind. Besides, they can just hang out with my sister until I get back."

"Oh, that is literally wonderful!" Pacifica agreed with newfound nerve as Dipper hurried to accompany her, abandoning his skateboard and new grappling hook by the door. The child hypnotist couldn't help but flash a discrete, almost snide grin towards the Gem temple and town as the two walked towards Pacifica's home, knowing that she'd won this first, important victory. "So, so, wonderful…"

 **Ford's House 2** **nd** **Floor (Attic) 9:32 AM**

Steven and Connie frowned as they glanced up at the clock in Dipper and Mabel's room, knowing that they'd been waiting almost an hour for Mabel to come back so they could hang out. Normally, neither of them were the impatient type, especially Connie, but they both enjoyed Dipper's company, though Steven did in smaller doses. Still, it seemed that Dipper wasn't interested in hanging out with them for some reason.

"When do you think he'll be back?" Connie asked Mabel as they all sat on the floor, playing a board game to pass the time until Dipper returned.

"Yeah, as fun as this game is, it d-d-doesn't feel right without Dipper here." Steven admitted as he nervously rubbed his left arm.

"I know, but I'm not sure where he is," Mabel said in slight concern. At first, she didn't think much of Dipper's disappearance, mostly since he left behind his skateboard and grappling hook. However, she knew that it wasn't like Dipper not to tell people where he was going, knowing he would've informed her or Ford. "Dipper's not the kind of kid to just leave without a word. I haven't seen him since he opened the door for someone this morning."

"He's probably okay…right?" Connie asked with sudden worry.

Before Mabel could answer, the door to their room opened, instantly calming their concerns. "About time, Dip—" Mabel said with a smirk, which faltered when they noticed Dipper's new appearance.

"Hi, guys!" Dipper greeted the group happily, his new look surprising them all. His hair was now neatly combed and he wore a gaudy dark purple suit with a white dress shirt, a golden tie, and lilac dress shoes. "What's going on?"

"Whoa, Dipper!" Connie exclaimed chipperly. "You look awesome!"

"Thanks, Connie!" Dipper replied cheerfully. "I have to admit, I didn't think it was possible for me to get handsomer."

"Dipper, where were you?" Mabel asked in confusion. "And what's the deal with that suit? It looks expensive."

"And it looks like you're a-a-attending a Mardi Gras funeral." Steven added nervously.

"It sure is and looks like it, right?" Dipper agreed with them both. "I was just hanging out with the lovely Pacifica Pleasure. I have to say, she knows what looks good on me!"

"Wait, you were with Pacifica the whole time?' Connie asked in disappointment. "It's good, but…I thought we'd all be hanging out today."

"Oh, yeah. Sorry about that, guys," Dipper said apologetically to Steven and Connie. "It's just been a long time since a girl noticed me and I didn't have the heart to turn her down. You guys understand, right?"

"Yeah, we get it." Steven and Connie said in unison, though neither of them smiled.

"I mean, you were having fun, right?" Connie asked inquisitively.

"Yeah, it was awesome! Pacifica's the coolest and prettiest unrelated girl I've ever met!" Dipper praised as he formed a small blush. "We're uh…meeting each other again later today."

"Well, just be careful. I don't want you to get hurt and Grunkle Ford wouldn't approve of this." Mabel mentioned warily.

"Hey, I'll be careful this time and none of you will tell him, right?" Dipper asked his sister pleadingly.

"We're already keeping a big secret from the Gems, so sure," Mabel stated as Steven and Connie nodded in agreement. "But still, I don't think she's the right girl for you."

"Oh, she's not so bad," Dipper said dismissively. "I mean, you don't really have the best track record when it comes to girls I'm interested in. I think we can make this work, you know."

"Dipper, I'm only trying to help. I know how you get around girls you like." Mabel said with sisterly affection.

"No offense, but it gets a little old sometimes." Dipper bitterly said as he crossed his arms.

Before anyone could respond, Ford walked in the room and asked, "Anyone in the mood for lemonade and cookies?"

"Uh, yeah. Sure." Connie said, wanting to get out of this awkward situation.

"Ditto." Mabel said in agreement as she coldly left with Connie, much to Ford's confusion.

"Did I miss something?" Ford asked curiously.

"No, Prof. Pines. I-I-I'll be down soon." Steven replied nervously as Ford merely shrugged and headed downstairs with the girls.

"Ugh, do you see what I have to put up with when it comes to girls, Steven?" Dipper asked in light disdain.

"Dipper, I'm sorry you're feeling this way," Steven said with a sincere frown. "I get it since the Gems are a bit…eager when it comes to girls."

"It's not your fault, Steven," Dipper said with a sigh as he sat on his bed with Steven following suit. "After all, even though we're twins, Mabel's the oldest, so she always feels a need to protect me from everything, especially girls. The last time I brought a girl over back home, Mabel stonewalled me from talking to her because she bombarded her with questions. Her heart's in the right place, but she doesn't trust me to handle stuff like that on my own."

"I wish I had some advice for you, Dipper. But, if you ask me, you're lucky to have her in your life," Steven admitted with a small sigh. "Sometimes, I wonder how things would be if I had a twin or sibling. I've always had the Gems and my dad, but they don't really understand what it's like for me."

"Well, thanks for letting me vent anyway, Steven. We might not have the same interests, but you're a good friend." Dipper said with a fond smile that Steven returned.

"Hey, Connie and I know that you have plans later, but do you want to hang out with us this Tuesday?" Steven asked curiously. "I'd say tomorrow, but I've got a mission with the Gems."

"Done deal, bro," Dipper smiled as the duo shook hands on it, both resolved to fully enjoy time together.

 **Warehouse (Roof) 5:47 PM**

The sun started to set over Gravity Falls, which cast a lazy, warm glow on the sleepy little town, which was only accentuated by the light snowfall. Dipper and Pacifica enjoyed this stunning view, courtesy of the roof of the warehouse where most of the child hypnotist's merchandise was stored. The two spent most of the day enjoying themselves with what the town had to offer, mostly due to Dipper being somewhat angry at Mabel, with Pacifica happily footing the bill for all purchases. They then decided to conclude the day peacefully, which led them to their current spot.

"Whoa, Pacifica. The view from your family's factory is nuts!" Dipper exclaimed in amazement. "It's awesome how you can see the whole town from here, even the Gem temple."

"Oh, well, that temple is, like, nothing special," Pacifica said dismissively as she quickly changed the subject. "You know, Dipper, when I'm up here, looking down on all those tiny people, I feel like I'm the queen of all I survey." Pacifica grinned a bit ominously as her voice dropped down to a temporary whisper, before she returned to her cheerful manner. "I guess that sort of makes you my king."

"I'm not so sure about the whole, king, queen stuff," Dipper said as his eyes widened slightly in apprehension. "We're still kids and we're just having fun, right?"

"That's the thing; it's not enough for me to have fun," Pacifica said sincerely. "Look, when I see something I want, I get it, and that includes you."

"Pacifica, the way you're talking about me makes me feel like a trophy," Dipper said uneasily. "I mean, you're insanely beautiful, but I'm not something to be won."

"That's where you're wrong, Dipper. I've never felt this way about anyone, before," Pacifica said as she formed a small blush and firmly held Dipper's hands, despite the boy's growing discomfort. "Don't you get it? I'm the only one for you."

"Uh…Pacifica, listen," Dipper began with a disconcerted frown as he pried his hands away from the young girl. She was quick to reach for them again, but Dipper pried them from her, only more insistently this time. "Don't you think this is moving a little fast? Shouldn't we wait a while?"

Suddenly, Pacifica's eyes narrowed as her purple gem lightly glowed as she placed her left hand on Dipper's face, which instantly turned his eyes a glowing dark purple. She smirked to herself before she said, "You will go on a date with me. You will not question what will happen when you come out of this trance."

The hypnotized Dipper lazily nodded his head, which made Pacifica lightly squeal as she delivered a quick peck on the cheek. She then snapped her fingers, which awoke Dipper from his trance, much to his confusion.

"Ugh, why is my head pounding?" Dipper asked himself, only for Pacifica to warmly embrace him.

"Oh, Dipper! Of course, I'd love to go out tomorrow with you!" Pacifica yelled convincingly, much to Dipper's apprehension and confusion that he'd somehow asked her out.

"Oh, uh…yay?" Dipper said uncertainly, unwilling to hurt her feelings over an apparent misunderstanding. However, he soon regretted allowing this to continue as he formed a disturbed frown. "Are you sniffing my hair?"

 **Araki Sushi 8:43 PM**

True to her word, Pacifica came to Dipper's house for their date the following evening. Dipper was surprised with the garish lilac limousine she arrived in, which they rode to the only sushi restaurant in town. Unsurprisingly, Pacifica already arranged a secluded booth and meal for them to enjoy, which disturbed Dipper to no end.

"Having a good time, Dipper?" Pacifica grinned flirtatiously. "You look literally handsome in this light."

"Oh, thanks, Pacifica." Dipper said, immensely confused with how he was even roped into this date, but unwilling to verbally express himself. "So, what's this stuff called again?"

"Sushi and it's, like, so good!" Pacifica said cheerfully as she took out her chopsticks and politely indulged in her food.

Unwilling to offend her, Dipper shrugged and attempted to use his own, only for the sushi to fall from his chopsticks and onto the plate every time.

"Is it possible for chopsticks to be defective?" Dipper asked in confusion.

"Oh, you're literally so funny, Dipper!" Pacifica said happily as she demonstrated the proper technique. "Just hold your sticks like this and you'll be fine."

Dipper did his best to mimic Pacifica's technique, but since it wasn't exact, he was only able to shakily grab his sushi. He quickly popped it into his mouth before it could fall, which made him smile happily.

"Whoa, this is amazing!" Dipper praised as he swallowed the food.

"I told you and its better with eel sauce!" Pacifica said chipperly as she snapped her fingers, which instantly summoned a waiter with eel sauce that she served in two sauce dishes.

"Ah, an excellent choice, Pacifica. You must be having a great time with your date." The waiter complimented.

"Akiko, what did we say about eye contact?" Pacifica asked coldly.

"Yes, yes! Of, course!" Akiko said as she complied and left the table with a disturbing grin.

"Uh, I'm not sure about this sauce, Pacifica." Dipper said in unease, which mostly came from the sauce's name.

"If you try it, you'll love it." Pacifica said dismissively as she dipped one of her pieces of sushi and ate it with a grin.

"Look, this has been nice and everything, but…"

"Just shut up and eat it!" Pacifica yelled harshly as she dipped one of her own pieces and shoved it in Dipper's mouth, which almost made the young boy choke. Dipper quickly grabbed his glass of water, which forced the sushi into his throat. After a few moments, he stopped and took in big gulps of air as he pounded his chest.

"Oh! Oh, that was not a good experience!" Dipper said hoarsely as he composed himself.

"Dipper, I'm, like, so sorry! I didn't mean to…!" Pacifica said apologetically, only for Dipper to form a harsh glare towards her.

"Pacifica, I'm not saying this to hurt you, but this date…!" Dipper started, only for Pacifica to cut him off with another hit of her hypnosis.

"This date has been going nicely. You love hanging out with me." Pacifica commanded, with the hypnotized Dipper nodding in agreement again, with the onlookers unaware of what was really happening. She then snapped her fingers and brought Dipper back to finish his sentence with new words.

"This date is going fantastic! I totally love hanging out with you!" Dipper said chipperly, even though he slightly felt that it wasn't what he was going to say a moment ago.

"Oh, stop it, Dipper!" Pacifica said playfully as she formed a light blush. "And tomorrow's date is going to be better than ever!"

"Wait, not that I'm complaining, but when did I ask for another date?" Dipper asked in confusion. To quell his suspicions, she abruptly changed the subject to something that seemed rather left-wing at first.

"Oh, what a surprise! It's literally a red-crested South American rainbow macaw!" Pacifica declared as the large, colorful bird appeared out of nowhere, obediently coming to perch on the young hypnotist's arm, despite Dipper's startled cry. When Pacifica snapped her fingers, the macaw began to deliver its rehearsed message with surprising clarity.

"Dipper! Will! You! Accompany! Pacifica! To the! Ballroom! Dance! This! Twishday—Tuesday!" the bird quickly corrected its error after Pacifica gave it a shake, before it hacked up an invitation to the event on Dipper's plate and flew away.

Dipper could hardly find the words to say over this sudden turn of events, especially as the other restaurant patrons took notice and let out a collective "aw" over the young couple. Dipper knew that he couldn't turn her down, but there was something in the back of his mind telling him to reject her.

"So, Dipper?" Pacifica asked hopefully, clearly playing up the factor of all the onlooker's eyes. "What do you say?"

"Well, you know that I'll say…" Dipper began, his body struggling to say his answer. While he knew what he wanted to say, the presence in the back of his mind wanted him to cut and run. Granted, he didn't have the best track record with girls back home, but none of them ever made him feel this sense of foreboding. Still, this momentary indecisiveness made him remember the promise he made to Steven, which was strong enough for him to give his response. "I-I'm sorry, Pacifica. I can't—at least, not tomorrow." Dipper said apologetically, slightly cringing at the disappointed sighs of the crowd.

"Oh, and why not?" Pacifica asked with a confused frown, her amulet lightly glowing in preparation for another hypnotic daze if she needed one.

"It's just that I promised Steven and Connie that I'd hang out with them tomorrow. You know them both, right?" Dipper asked as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck.

"Oh, of course…" Pacifica said as her left eye twitched in anger. "Steven's a nice boy and his guardians are…. nice. And Connie is almost as new here as you are." The child hypnotist held back an urge to put Dipper in another hypnotic daze. "How long have you been friends with them?"

"Since the beginning of winter," Dipper answered fondly. "Steven's a pretty great friend, but Connie and I have enough in common that we're totally amazing together! Besides, I blew them off when we had plans yesterday, and I need to make it up to them. You understand, right?"

Pacifica was barely able to maintain her calm façade, which was mostly due to Dipper's specific fondness for Connie. Still, she knew that Dipper was somehow resisting her small hypnotic dazes, so she formed a forced smile as she said, "Oh, don't worry about that, Dipper. I, like, totally get it. After all, it would be such a shame to intrude on such an… _ **important**_ affair."

"Oh, that's…nice, Pacifica." Dipper said hesitantly. "Thanks for understanding."

"It was literally no problem." Pacifica said with a halfhearted laugh and handwave. "After all, we can totes just move it to the day after right?"

"Yeah…of, course." Dipper said uncertainly, unsure of why he was reacting this way to the prospect of another date with her.

"Excellent!" Pacifica praised as she put her former disdain aside and held out her glass of water up. "I propose a toast!" she called to the rest of the restaurant patrons, who were more than happy to follow her example. "To me and my lovely Dipper! We're literally the happiest couple in Gravity Falls!"

The other patrons cheered in support as they drank to this, the only one not joining in on the revelry being Dipper himself. Instead, he merely glanced down, utterly baffled as to why he didn't want to go on another date with Pacifica. It was as if something was warning him about her, but he had a feeling that he'd get some insight about this tomorrow.

 **Ford's House 1** **st** **Floor (Kitchen) 9:23 AM**

Even though the kids swore themselves to secrecy on Dipper's budding relationship with Pacifica from Ford, that didn't mean that the elderly scientist couldn't figure it out through other means, specifically through the front-page article on this morning's _Gravity Falls Gossiper_.

"Hey, kids!" Ford yelled hotly as he stormed in the kitchen to see Mabel, Robbie, and oddly Sour Cream eating cereal, which caught them all off-guard. "What in the name of Galileo is Dipper doing in the newspaper next to that evil she-dog, Pacifica?!" he harshly questioned the trio, waving the newspaper in front of him before he directed his gaze towards Mabel. "I thought I told him, you, Steven, and Connie to stay away from her!"

"Oh, yeah. This is a major deal in town." Robbie said as he showed a wide array of texts on his phone concerning the duo. "I don't understand it, but almost everyone's talking about Pacifica and Dipper's date tomorrow night."

"What?!" Ford exclaimed incredulously as he furiously ripped the paper in half. "That little Homo habilis is dating _**my**_ great-nephew?!"

"I'm proud of the kid. He helped me out with Jenny, so he deserves to have a nice girl." Sour Cream said as he rubbed his chin in thought. "I wonder what'll be the name of their ship. Every pairing should have a nickname."

"Why are you even here?!" Ford asked in misplaced anger.

"Eh, my mom and step-dad are you know, uh… _ **busy**_ right now." Sour Cream answered with an embarrassed blush. "I had to get breakfast from somewhere and I didn't have any money."

Ford lightly growled as he turned towards Mabel and gruffly asked, "Mabel, did you know about this?"

"Uh…be more specific?" Mabel asked sheepishly, which was all Ford needed to act. Knowing that she'd failed her little brother she said, "I told him not to! Really, I did!"

"Well, where's your brother, now?" Ford asked impatiently. "I swear, if that she-dog did something to him today, I'm going to…!"

"He's okay!" Mabel quickly cut in. "He's at the Gem temple with Steven and Connie for the day."

"It's good that he's hanging out with his real friends rather than _**Pacifica**_ of all people." Ford scowled as he grabbed his lab coat, too angered to get the rest of his ensemble. "Whatever's going on between them, I don't want Dipper to be involved! This little love affair dies _**right**_ now!" Without another word, the elderly scientist stormed out, slamming the door behind him, which left the three youths slightly concerned, but not enough that Sour Cream couldn't resist saying something he just thought of.

"Oh, Dipcifica would be an awesome couple name!" Sour Cream said excitedly.

"Let it go, buddy." Robbie stated as he laid condescending hand on his friend.

 **Pacifica's House 1** **st** **Floor (Living Room) 9:43 AM**

Despite his anger, Ford obeyed most traffic ordinances and speed limits as he rushed over to Pacifica's house, making a beeline for the door once he was properly parked. "Pacifica, come out here! I don't know what you're doing to Dipper, but I know it's not good!" Ford yelled as he intermittently pounded on the door heavily to emphasize his point. Soon enough, Pacifica's father, Preston, arrived at the door, a welcoming grin on his face.

Preston Pleasure was a slender man in his early-forties with short brown hair, lightly tanned skin, and dark brown eyes. He wore a dark purple dress shirt, white slacks, and lilac shoes.

"Prof. Pines! This is a surprise!" Preston greeted warmly.

"Preston, where's your daughter?" Ford asked tersely.

"Oh, well, she's not here. Although, I do insist that you'll stay for my wife's tea and cookies." Preston offered as he placed a hand on Ford's shoulder and guided him to the living room.

"Look, I-I-I appreciate the offer, but—"

"Ford, if I may call you that, I should tell you the tea's imported. It came all the way from Darjeeling." Preston politely interrupted, which made Ford lightly smile.

"Whoa, that's incredible tea," Ford admitted, unable to deny how enticing Preston's offer was. Only now that his rage subsided that the elderly scientist noticed how spacious and well-furnished the Pleasure residence was, which was admittedly a step-up from his own home. "Your home is…lovely, Preston."

"Well, thank you, Ford," Preston said humbly as his wife came into the room, carrying the cookies and two glasses of tea on a plate, which instantly made Preston's eyes light up. "Oh, my darling, my one true love, my everything, how was today?"

Priscilla Pleasure was a slender woman in her late-thirties with fair skin, long, frazzled light brown hair, and dark blue eyes. She wore a knee-length lilac dress that had several inexplicable tears scattered throughout the garment, white sandals, and a gold necklace. Oddly, her makeup was either poorly done or put up haphazardly as her lipstick and eyeshadow were smeared and blatantly went out of their properly places. Even stranger, she could only muster an unnerving smile that Preston didn't seem to notice or care.

"It was…l-l-literally fine, honey." Priscila answered hesitantly as she her left eye intermittently twitched.

"That's my girl!" Preston said lovingly as he passionately kissed her, which the woman didn't even seem to notice or reciprocate as she walked backwards towards the kitchen when it was over.

"Uh, is your wife…?"

"Talkative? Yes, but that's why I love her," Preston interrupted before he formed a bright smile and said, "Speaking of happy relationships, it seems that my Pacifica is growing quite fond of your great-nephew Dipper."

"Yes, exactly!" Ford glowered as he remembered why he initially came here. "And I want you to help me end it!"

"Oh, I hardly think that's necessary, Ford," Preston said, still calmly smiling. "Pacifica's never been happier and what father would deny their child happiness?"

"The kind that don't know how badly they've screwed up," Ford said coldly as he stood up and shot the man a harsh glare. "You're living in denial, Preston. Your family is suffering and it's only going to get worse. Be a real father and stand up to your daughter."

Preston merely kept up his calm demeanor and said, "And how would you possibly know that? You never had kids."

"That doesn't make me blind to healthy family relationships." Ford said tersely, which made him feel a small twinge of pain in his head.

"Well, you've made your choice…" Preston calmly said as he snapped his fingers, which alerted Pacifica to step into the room, holding her amulet with a sadistic smile towards Ford. Preston then formed an identical expression as he said, "And I've made mine."

Ford could only recoil in fear as the last thing he felt in that house was the amulet's power burning into his damaged mind.

 **Crystal Temple (Steven's Room) 10:30 AM**

"Okay, that should do it," Steven said as he emerged from the kitchen, clad in a white apron and carrying a plate of fresh cookies. He walked towards the eager Connie and slightly despondent Dipper, who were sitting on Steven's couch. "I don't really have a lot of experience doing this for anyone, so uh…they might not be that good."

Steven's brief lack of confidence was shattered when Connie took the first bite and formed a huge smile. "Are you kidding?! Steven, these are amazing!" Connie praised as she grabbed a few more to eat later, leaving some for Dipper.

"Good to hear. Believe it or not, _**I**_ taught him how to bake." Jasper commented as she walked towards them from her temple room.

"I-I-it's true; Peridot doesn't even like to eat and Lapis just wolfs down everything before I get the chance to cook." Steven said sheepishly as he formed a small blush.

"Well, whatever the case, they're delicious!" Connie said happily as she nudged Dipper to add something. "Come on, Dipper! These are good, right?"

"Oh, uh…sure." Dipper replied, though Steven, Connie, and Jasper knew the boy was lying since they hadn't seen him even reach for the cookie tray.

"A-A-Are you okay, Dipper?" Steven shakily asked in concern, unsure of how to talk in this kind of situation.

"I'm…fine," Dipper answered hesitantly as he rubbed his temples. "I'm just not hungry."

Connie frowned when she noticed Dipper's melancholy demeanor, which was the reverse of the chipper boy she'd come to know and befriend on the first day of winter. She wasn't sure what was causing this, but she wanted to help him.

"Dipper, what's wrong?" Connie asked sincerely as she laid a comforting hand on his back. "We're your friends; you can tell us anything."

Dipper let out a long sigh as he laid on the couch before he said, "It's this whole Pacifica thing. She's a little…high-maintenance. She seemed perfect for me, but something's changed about her."

"What do you mean?" Steven asked in confusion. "I thought you wanted to make this work with her."

"I do, but not so fast!" Dipper protested as he grabbed a pillow and violently screamed into it for a few seconds before he put it back. "She's expecting me to be her boyfriend already, but we haven't even known each other that long! And what's worse is that part of my mind knows that she's bad news, but that part's losing to a new one that wants to stay with her!"

"Have you tried talking to Pacifica about any of this?" Connie asked, willing to help him.

"Ugh, I wish it were that easy," Dipper said in exasperation. "For some reason, every time I try to end things with her, I end up saying the opposite! It's like she has a bizarre stranglehold on my mind and I can't break free!"

"Hmm…" Steven and Connie mused, unsure on how to solve this problem themselves. Thankfully, they noticed that while Jasper had been intently listening to them, she hadn't said a word on the subject and they had a feeling she could help.

"Jasper, anything to add?" Steven asked, which stirred Jasper from her own thoughts on the matter.

"Oh, yeah, sure Little Cub." Jasper said as she got out of her daze.

"So, any advice?" Dipper asked, hoping that the Gem leader could help him. "I know none of you can pass as humans, but have you, Lapis, or Peridot ever had to deal with unwanted admirers?"

"Lapis gets most of them, but we usually don't let it get too far." Jasper admitted as she sat next to the frustrated boy.

"I wish I'd done that when Pacifica showed up to my house." Dipper muttered in regret.

"Dipper, listen to me," Jasper sincerely began as she placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "As hard as it'll be at the time, you need to let Pacifica know how you feel. It isn't fair to her or you to keep this…unhealthy relationship going."

Dipper formed a small smile as he took this advice to heart, knowing it would likely work. While Jasper was more than likely to be right about the pain, it was certainly better than the alternative he was inexplicably enduring. "Thanks, Jasper," he said with a resolved smile. "No matter what, I need to tell Pacifica that we need to slow down or break up."

"I won't be easy, but things will turn out fine." Jasper encouraged with a small grin.

"Whoa, Jasper," Connie remarked, the most impressed with her solid suggestion. "How do you know so much about relationships?"

Jasper let out an uncertain expression and hastily said, "That's not important Uh, I need to go on a Gem mission right now!"

With that, the orange Gem ran hastily towards the warp pad, tripping a few times before she reached it and warped out with an uncomfortable grin on her face, much to the kids' confusion.

"Okay, am I the only one who thought that was weird?" Steven asked in confusion, with both Dipper and Connie nodding in agreement.

"Yeah, why did she react like that?" Connie mused.

"I'm not sure." Steven said as he formed an inquisitive expression, unsure of what to do next since none of them could follow her. "You guys want s'mores?"

"Yeah!" Dipper and Connie yelled happily with Steven obliging as they resumed their fun, lazy day together.

 **Ford's House 1** **st** **Floor (Living Room) 5:23 PM**

Dipper returned to the shack that evening in determined spirits, Jasper's advice still ringing in his ears. Though he had some issues of self-doubt when it came to Pacifica's hold on him, he'd just have to force himself to say it, even if it was the first thing he said to her. This was the best for them both and Dipper's sake, the sooner this ended, the better.

"Hey, you look like you're in a good mood," Mabel greeted her brother happily as he walked into the living room. "I don't mean to sound cold, but did you finally break things off with Pacifica?"

"Not yet, but you were right," Dipper admitted as he formed an embarrassed blush. "I knew you were looking out for me, but I should've been nicer with how I asserted myself. Pacifica isn't even close to my dream girl now."

"Well, I owe you an apology too, Dip," Mabel admitted as she formed her own blush. "I shouldn't have been so harsh when it comes to the girls you fall for. You're my little brother; I want you to be with someone who'll treat you nicely."

"Thanks, Mabel," Dipper sincerely said as he opened his arms for her and hopefully asked, "Awkward sibling hug?"

"Awkward sibling hug." Mabel replied as she warmly embraced her brother. However, they didn't have time to do the pats when Mabel said, "I just hope Pacifica takes the bad news better than Grunkle Ford did when he found out about your date."

"Wait, what?! You said you weren't going to tell him!" Dipper exclaimed fearfully as he looked around for their great-uncle.

"Relax, I didn't," Mabel clarified as she fished out her journal from behind the sofa. "He found out on his own in the paper and went ballistic. He went over to Pacifica's house to, I don't know, straighten her out from doing something to you. He's been gone for a while though; I hope he's okay."

"Aw, sweet!" Dipper exclaimed in relief. "With Grunkle Ford on the case, Pacifica can't do whatever she's been doing to stop me from breaking up with her! This is fantastic!"

"Hang on, weren't _**you**_ willing to tell her the truth just a few moments ago?" Mabel asked in confusion.

"Yeah, but this is foolproof!" Dipper admitted as he pumped his left fist in the air. "I owe Grunkle Ford a lot for this!"

"Glad to hear it, Dipper!" Ford cheered as he sauntered in the room with an odd, forced smile that silently unnerved the twins. However, Dipper took extra-notice of Ford's new purple t-shirt, which had the words "Team Pacifica" printed on it in gold.

"Where'd you get that shirt, Grunkle Ford?" Dipper frowned in slight confusion.

"Dipper, I have splendid news; you're marrying Pacifica!" Ford said cheerfully, unaware of the fact that Dipper's jaw dropped as his pupils dilated in horror.

"What the nuts?!" Dipper exclaimed incredulously, his mind reeling from the thought of walking down the aisle with her.

"I mean, not now. It's part of a wonderful long-term deal I have with her father, Preston Pleasure," Ford explained, unaware that his right eye was twitching. "We all want her to be happy, so don't do anything rash."

"T-This is…" Dipper began to protest, utterly confused and distraught by this turn of events.

"Not to mention that you'll be marrying into a fairly rich family! As a show of good faith, Preston gave me this complimentary shirt!" Ford said with a wide grin that faded into confusion when he noticed his impressive physique. "Whew, how'd I get so ripped?"

Unable to contain his horror over this unbelievable news, Dipper let out a terrified scream and hurried up the stairs to his and Mabel's room as fast as he could, leaving his concerned sister and confused great-uncle behind.

"Boys get muscles, kiddo!" Ford called out after him, misunderstanding the boy's fear.

Mabel formed an uncomfortable expression as she traversed the stairs mere moments after Dipper, anticipating that the boy would not be his usual chipper self. Since Dipper didn't usually give in to fear or despair, but Mabel knew how to take care of him when he did. When she reached their room, she saw her little brother in a fetal position on his bed, lightly trembling.

"Oh, no," Mabel frowned sympathetically, hating to see her brother like this. "Dipper…"

"Dipper's not here," Dipper muttered bitterly as he fished out his old teddy bear from behind his pillow, who was dressed as a clown. "Talk to Teddy Funtimes to make an appointment."

"Teddy, is Dipper available to talk now?" Mabel asked as she sat alongside her distraught brother.

Dipper didn't offer a verbal response as he merely shook his and Teddy's head side-to-side before he let out a soft whine. Thankfully, Mabel knew how to deal with her brother's woes, having done so since they were little. "Come on, Dipper," she encouraged as she placed a hand on his shoulder, even though he was quick to pull it away. "I don't know what's going on in Grunkle Ford's head, but you shouldn't listen to him. You can just end things with Pacifica yourself, remember?"

"Ugh, it's not that easy, Mabel!" Dipper groaned as he now grabbed his hair in frustration. "I don't know how she does it, but I know that if I open my mouth about ending things, I'll say the total opposite! I honestly don't know if I can get out of this myself!"

Seeing that her brother was too distraught, Mabel felt a twinge of resolve during this pity. While she knew that Pacifica wasn't the right girl for him, she hadn't expected the girl to somehow get under her brother's skin like this. Any good older sibling knew what they'd have to do in this situation, and Mabel was more than ready to oblige. "Okay, whatever Pacifica's doing to you stops now," Mabel said reassuringly, which caught Dipper's attention as he gently laid Teddy Funtimes on his bed. "If you can't end things with her, I will."

"R-Really?" Dipper asked in surprise.

"Duh, little brother," Mabel replied with a playful grin as she warmly hugged him. "And if it makes you feel any better, I can bring Steven and Connie with me. Between the three of us, Pacifica will get the message."

Dipper formed a warm smile and returned his sister's embrace, which surprisingly made Mabel almost need to use her powers to stop herself from falling off his bed. "Oh, you're the greatest, Mabel! Thank you!" Dipper exclaimed happily. "You're the best older sister ever!"

Mabel simply formed an embarrassed blush at her brother's praise, her own spirits lifted from seeing him smile so much. "I know, and don't forget it," Mabel remarked playfully.

 **The Club 7:43 PM**

The night of Dipper's date with Pacifica, all four kids gathered outside the restaurant, determined to make Pacifica understand that Dipper didn't want to be with her anymore. Granted, Steven and Connie were there when Jasper imparted her relationship wisdom to Dipper, they were resolved to help him when Mabel told them how the situation worsened. They unanimously agreed for Dipper to remain outside the restaurant until it was over, unsure on how the child hypnotist would react if Dipper was there.

"So, have you talked to Pacifica, before?" Mabel asked Steven as the group approached the largest table in the back of the crowded restaurant.

"Eh, not really," Steven shrugged. "She seems nice and likes Dipper, so she shouldn't take this too hard."

"We just need to let her down gently. It's weird that we're the ones doing it, but it's for Dipper's sake." Connie admitted as the group made it to Pacifica's table. She hadn't noticed their arrival as she was intently looking over the menu, patiently waiting for Dipper to arrive. Strangely, she wasn't even remotely aware of their presence until Connie spoke up, albeit apprehensively.

"Uh, Pacifica?" Connie greeted tentatively. Pacifica lowered her menu and forced a smile as she took in the sight of the trio, clearly having been expecting Dipper instead of them.

"Oh, well this is, like, a total surprise!" Pacifica exclaimed with feigned delight. "Mabel Pines, Steven Universe, and…Connie Maheswaren!" Pacifica's left eye started twitching from the mere sight of the latter, but she did her best to keep up appearances. "So, how are you three?"

"Oh, we're okay, Pacifica." Connie answered for them all, with Mabel and Steven nodding their heads in agreement.

"Good, good," Pacifica replied, masking her contempt through small talk. "So, have any of you seen Dipper? It's totes time for our date."

"Uh, about that…. Look, Pacifica," Mabel began with a somewhat nervous frown. "Dipper really likes you, but he thinks you're a bit…controlling."

"He's really freaked out by you, no offense. He doesn't think that this can work." Steven added carefully.

"Dipper wanted to tell you himself, but he didn't want to hurt your feelings." Connie similarly added before she formed a hopeful expression and asked, "You understand, right?"

A small period of silence passed between them all as Mabel, Steven, and Connie exchanged nervous glances, the three noticing Pacifica's left eye was twitching more aggressively when it was over. "So, what you're saying is…" Pacifica began, her voice low and unstable as her right hand tightened into a fist underneath the table. "You've…come between us?"

"Are you uh…going to be okay?" Mabel asked anxiously.

When she heard the question, Pacifica immediately righted herself, seamlessly reverting to her calm and collected manner. "Oh, totally!" Pacifica exclaimed with a fake laugh. "These things happen, after all."

Mabel, Steven, and Connie were immensely relieved to hear this, all of them noticing how enraged Pacifica looked a few moments ago. Still, Connie was a bit confused and concerned with how well she took it, so she asked her, "Are you going to be okay?"

"Oh, don't worry about me," Pacifica said a bit forcefully, grinning to the point that it was unsettling. "I'll literally be more than fine."

"Oh, awesome," Mabel said with a sense of finality, grateful that their work was done. "Again, nothing personal, girl. Just uh…keep smiling, okay?"

With nothing else to say, the trio took their leave as they all gave the child hypnotist parting, albeit awkward smiles as they left. However, none of them noticed how Pacifica's false grin instantly transformed into a burning glare of pure rage once they were out the door, though it was mostly directed towards Connie. "Keep on smiling, _**floozy**_ …"

The trio couldn't deny their immense relief as they exited the restaurant and found Dipper anxiously waiting for them near the door. Unable to keep his emotions hidden, Dipper launched an abundance of questions on them all. "So, how did it go?" he asked, biting his lip in anxiousness. "Was she mad? Did she try to hypnotize you to do her bidding?"

"Weirdly, she took it well," Connie grinned. "Better than we thought she would've."

"Oh, that's good," Dipper sighed in relief. "The possibility of her doing something to you guys was in the back of my mind the whole time."

"Don't worry, Dipper," Mabel reassured as she lightly embraced her brother. "She's just a normal girl. She might be smooth enough to get Ford to change his mind, but she can't take over minds or anything."

"Yeah, you're probably right." Dipper admitted as he returned his sister's embrace.

"So, now that this is over, you guys want to…hang out in my room for a while?" Steven nervously suggested. "I still have some s'mores left over from yesterday in the freezer."

None of the kids turned this offer down as they unanimously agreed. The four of them cheerfully raced off towards the temple, unaware of the danger they'd brought upon themselves.

 **Pacifica's House 2** **nd** **Floor (Pacifica's Room) 8:19 PM**

Pacifica paced around her darkened room lividly, her footfalls heavy and tense as she bitterly muttered to herself. She wasn't used to someone denying her something, especially when it concerned the first boy she came to love. In the safety of her own room, Pacifica didn't hesitate to allow her pent-up hatred float to the surface, especially when she thought about the three kids that made her feel this way.

"Connie Maheswaren, Steven Universe, and Mabel Pines, you three literally have no idea what you've done!" Pacifica growled as she seethed with rage and slammed her fists onto her desk. Pacifica blamed all three of them for Dipper supposedly "breaking up" with her. The way Pacifica saw it, her chances with Dipper were severely diminished with Connie, of all people, taking him away from her. After all, Dipper mentioned how fond he was of her, so it would've been child's play for Connie to capture his affections. She figured that Mabel and Steven, both of whom probably supported Connie's budding romance with Dipper, were the most vocal to convince him to end things with her. Even worse, the three conspired to casually convey this message to her, instead of allowing Dipper to tell the truth about his feelings for her.

Still, Pacifica didn't bother crying, too enraged to allow any tears to fall from her eyes. As far as she was concerned, anyone that tried to keep her Dipper away deserved to be squashed like the insects they were. Fortunately for her, she had the perfect plan to get rid of them once and for all.

A twisted grin crossed Pacifica's face as she gripped her amulet, the purple gemstone glowing brightly in response to her touch. "Those airheaded Crystal Gems had to send the latest one to ruin everything, too…" she muttered to herself with blatant rage. "It's a good thing that they don't even know I totally swiped this from them."

Pacifica let out a devious chuckle as she spun around, which instantly enthralled several small animals in the area, all of whom arrived in her room to do her bidding, crawling in through various means. She formed a sadistic smile as she gazed at her small army, knowing that it wasn't even half of what she could do with this amulet.

"Look out, guys…" Pacifica said maniacally, her revenge plan already emerging into existence. "You'll all rue the day you tried to take my Dipper away from me! Especially you, Connie!"

Of course, in the aftermath of her loud tantrum, her father quickly burst into the room, indifferent to the familiar sight of her animal army. "Pacifica Elise Northwest, put those animals back outside this instant!" Preston scolded lightly.

"I can literally buy and sell you, old man!" Pacifica yelled furiously as she spun around to face her father, refusing to let him get in the way of her revenge.

Preston was silent for a moment before he shrugged in compliance, leaving his daughter to her own nefarious devices. "Fair enough, but don't leave any evidence." Preston said apathetically.

 **Ford's House (Front Yard) 5:43 PM**

A feeling of calm and jovial relaxation had fallen over Ford's home as Dipper, Mabel, and Robbie reveled in it by having a snowball fight from the light shower they had today. The teen had volunteered to hang out with the twins today, which neither of them protested, especially Mabel.

"Okay, I'm totally going to get you, kids!" Robbie said happily as he threw several snowballs at them.

"In your dreams, Valentino!" Dipper good-naturedly protested as he did his own frozen assault against him. When once of them hit him, Robbie winced in fake pain.

"Oh, no! You got me!" Robbie said playfully as he collapsed onto the ground, which made the twins laugh happily.

"Man, this is the life! Everything's back to normal!" Dipper shouted with a contented sigh as he absentmindedly did snow angels.

"Well, as normal as things can be in _**this**_ town." Mabel commented as she joined her brother.

"Seriously, thanks for dealing with the whole Pacifica thing and for not telling Grunkle Ford." Dipper replied sincerely.

"Hey, you would've done the same for me." Mabel shrugged as she awkwardly avoided making eye contact with Robbie.

"No offense, but I don't think you have to worry about Robbie, sis." Dipper said softly, which instantly made Mabel's face turn red. Before Mabel could form a response, the phone rang from inside the house, thankfully stopping Dipper from goading her about Robbie.

"Your turn!" both twins proclaimed in near unison, though Mabel was a second too slow, which left her as the one to handle this task. She let out a small, relieved groan as she headed inside.

Dipper sighed happily as he stood up as well, though he remained outside with Robbie, grateful for some guy time. "As weird as this seems, Robbie, I think I'll like being single again," Dipper said as he shared a fist-bump with the teen. "If the alternative was being with someone so dominating, I'm glad that I'll have more time to find a better girl."

"I'm with you on that, Dipper," Robbie nodded in understanding. "I've broken a lot of hearts over the years, but I've never found anyone to stick with long-term. Still, until I do, being single gives you some major freedom."

"Yeah, freedom!" Dipper cheered zealously, though his excitement diminished slightly a few moments later. "Still, I wish that things could've ended better between me and Pacifica. It seems pretty cowardly that I let Steven, Mabel, and Connie take care of it for me."

"Hey, if this Pacifica chick was as crazy as you guys told me, you didn't have much of a choice," Robbie said reassuringly as he formed a warm smile. "Just don't worry about it, Dip; you'll feel better about it soon."

"T-Thanks, Robbie…" Dipper said halfheartedly, knowing that it was essentially what Jasper told him the other day. Still, he couldn't help but feel ashamed that he delegated what he should've done to his friends, even though they'd offered. The only positive thing about all of this was the fact that once Ford got wind of the relationship ending, they'd never have to deal with the Pleasure family ever again.

As Dipper reflected the aftermath of his actions, Mabel emerged from the shack, an excited grin on her face she hurried past her brother and Robbie. "Hey, cutie, where's the fire?" Robbie curiously asked.

"The town paper just called," Mabel explained, only pausing briefly as she waved a slip of paper with an address scribbled on it that she was holding. "They want to interview _**me**_ about all the weird stuff we've seen in Gravity Falls. Can you believe it? The paper could be filled with what we've seen for months!"

"Or if you listed all the boring nerd stuff you're into!" Dipper joked playfully, though Mabel was too excited to react.

"Anyway, I'll be back later," she said as she lightly levitated. "I'll have to slow down to be there on time, but don't wait up!"

Dipper let out a small laugh as he watched his sister telekinetically leave as he turned towards Robbie with a determined grin. "Get ready for round two, Robbie!" Dipper proclaimed as he rapidly gathered snowballs.

Robbie shot him a confident smile as he did the same, more than ready to have another showdown. "Bring it on, kid."

 **Warehouse (Interior) 6:49 PM**

The sun had almost completely set as Mabel arrived at the location on time, but she frowned in confusion when she didn't see anyone else there. She glanced between the address she'd written down and the seemingly abandoned factory it led to; she overlooked the odd location since she figured they'd need more space for pictures. Still, she didn't feel the need to question it now and if this was a prank, she could leave at any time.

However, as strange as this setup seemed to be, she was more surprised to see Steven and Connie traverse up the path to the warehouse, the latter wearing a dark yellow backpack. "Steven? Connie? What are you guys doing here?" Mabel asked them in confusion.

"Mabel, good to see you," Connie greeted with an equally puzzled expression. "Are you here for the picture contest too?" the young girl asked as she fished out her camera from her backpack.

"Picture contest?" Mabel and Steven asked in confusion.

"I thought that you guys were here for the _Weight of the Stars_ book signing," Steven said as Connie handed him his favorite one from her backpack. "Although, it wouldn't make sense since Connie doesn't really care for the franchise."

"Hmm, it seems that we've all been led here under false pretenses," Mabel theorized as she stroked her chin in thought.

"Well, we should open the door and find out who brought us here," Connie suggested as she pointed towards the factory.

Without further questioning, the three youths entered through the doors, revealing the dark, apparently empty interior of the large warehouse. The kids exchanged an apprehensive glance as they ventured inside, only finding large crates and boxes lining the walls.

"Uh…hello?" Connie asked, her voice echoing through the lofty factory. "Is anybody in here? I brought my camera!"

"Well, it looks like you were right, Mabel," Steven said in disappointment as Connie allowed him to return his book into her backpack. "Still, who'd want to bring us here with false promises?"

As if in response to his question, the row of lights lining the ceiling suddenly began to switch on, the door slamming shut between the trio. The kids gasped in shock as Connie hastily put her camera in her backpack before they spun around to pull on the doors, only to find that they had somehow locked themselves tight. None of them had time to react to this turn of events, however, as a familiar voice greeted them from behind.

"Hello, _**friends**_ …" Pacifica greeted nonchalantly.

Of course, all three of them recognized the girl's distinct valley girl accent without needing to turn around, though they did so anyway. "Ugh, Pacifica," Mabel groaned in exasperation.

"Wh-Wh-Why'd you bring us here, Pacifica?" Steven asked nervously. However, instead of answering his question, Pacifica went off-topic.

"Mabel Pines…" she began, the dark shadows of the room giving her face a somewhat eerie quality. "How long have you lived in this town? A week? Two? You like it here? Are you literally enjoying the _**scenery**_?"

The kids exchanged an unnerved glance as they were unsure what Pacifica wanted when she looked towards them for an answer. Despite the level of creepiness that could be felt in the air, none of them understood what was Pacifica's intention here. "Uh…Pacifica?" Steven spoke up anxiously, which diverted the girl's attention immediately.

"Oh, yes, the half-breed," Pacifica continued, a condescending tone in her voice. "Steven Universe, the sole male of the Crystal Gems. Even you should know that those rock-heads literally cause more harm than good."

"No, they don't!" Steven yelled defensively. "They protect the town from monsters and other threats! They're heroes!"

"Oh, please," Pacifica said sarcastically. "You literally have no idea what they've been keeping from you. You've been unknowingly praising the truth your whole life…"

"What are you talking about, Pacifica?" Connie asked, just as confused as Mabel and Steven were, which only made Pacifica turn towards her.

"And the newest one, Connie Maheswaren," Pacifica continued with thinly-veiled contempt. "You know the least about what's going on in town, but I'll totes wipe that grin off your face once and for all."

"Okay, this is getting annoying. What's the deal here, Pacifica?" Mabel asked in exasperation.

"Listen carefully, all three of you," Pacifica said, her tone now completely serious. "This town has secrets you couldn't even literally _**begin**_ to imagine and so do those Gems."

"Does this have anything to do with my brother?" Mabel asked caustically, unfazed as Pacifica leapt out of her chair. "We already told you, he's not interested anymore!"

"Stop lying!" Pacifica shouted furiously. "Dipper and I are soulmates! He was my handsome prince! And he would've been mine if it hadn't been for _**you**_ , Maheswaren!" she exclaimed, pointing an accusatory finger at Connie.

"Me? Why would you blame me?" Connie asked in bewilderment.

"Don't play dumb, floozy!" Pacifica yelled jealously. "You took Dipper away from me! I literally have no idea how you did it, but you've got a lot of nerve to seduce a taken man!"

"What?" Connie asked as she let out a snorting, raucous laugh from this misunderstanding. "No offense to Dipper, but he's not my type! We're just friends."

"You must think I'm your typical airheaded valley girl if you think I'd believe that," Pacifica scoffed heatedly. "You took him away from me and _**you**_ two turned him against me!" Pacifica exclaimed, turning towards Mabel and Steven this time.

"No, we didn't," Mabel replied defensively, speaking for them both, though it was clear that Pacifica was beyond reason now. Instead, she approached them all in a slow, calculated stride, gripping her jewel amulet tightly as it began to glow with its magic, which sent a surge of pain through their minds. "Uh, Pacifica, what are you doing?"

Pacifica didn't respond as her own eyes glowed a bright amethyst, which instantly caused all three of them to collapse from a sudden surge of pain through their minds. Mabel managed to resist long enough to see that Steven and Connie's eyes were intermittently glowing a darker color. Mabel did her best to stand up, but the child hypnotist's powers were too much for her as she closed her eyes from pain. After a few moments, all resistance was gone as Steven, Connie, and Mabel all stood up and opened their eyes, which were now glowing dark purple. Pacifica formed a sadistic smile, knowing that all three were under her power.

"Let's just say this amulet can do so much more than hypnotize people," Pacifica said to her new thralls.

" _ **What do you want us to do, master?"**_ all three asked in their own voices, much to Pacifica's joy.

"Fight to the death," Pacifica coldly ordered.

 **Ford's House 1** **st** **Floor (Living Room) 7:02 PM**

Dipper let out a pensive sigh as he sat on the couch, his mind swimming in thoughts as he absently played with a yo-yo. Despite Robbie's earlier words, he couldn't help but feel guilty over the whole Pacifica thing. Despite how it ended, he had no closure or assurance from her that their relationship was over.

"Hey, how's the yo-yo, kid?" Robbie asked as he sat alongside him, which interrupted the boy's musings.

"Robbie, I need someone to vent to," Dipper said, hoping that he'd feel better if he told someone his feelings. He would've gone to Ford or Jasper, but the elderly scientist was off somewhere and he didn't want to see the orange Gem after essentially ignoring her advice. "You told me about the girls you've broken up with, right?"

"Oh, yeah," Robbie said with a handwave. "Let's see, there was Rachel Darrow, Emily Harper, Sasha DeLeon…"

As the teen continued to list his past flings, Dipper took this opportunity to vent. "I don't know what's wrong with me. I know that you said things would be better soon, but I still feel like garbage."

"Paula Wilkerson, Nicole Haller, that crazy chick that tattooed my face on her chest…"

"I'm not so sure about how things went down. I shouldn't have let my friends do the talking for me," Dipper continued, finally feeling that he was close to a conclusion. "Pacifica was a pain, but she deserves a real breakup."

"Diana Fletcher, Mina Rosenzweig…" Robbie suddenly stopped at this name as he recalled something. "Oh, crap, I don't think I broke up with her. No _**wonder**_ she keeps on calling me!"

"I know what I've got to do," Dipper said with resolve as he stood up, knowing what he had to do. "Thanks for listening to me, Robbie."

Still focused on his former girlfriends, Robbie didn't offer a real response, though since Dipper was in such a hurry, he didn't mind. Instead, the boy rushed for his skateboard and new grappling hook, even though he had no idea where he was going. He figured that he'd confront Pacifica at her house, but this plan went out the window as he spotted Lapis at the foot of the path, waving him down.

"Hey, Lapis," Dipper warmly greeted the blue Gem. "What's going on?"

"Eh, not much," Lapis said casually. "We just got back from a mission and Peridot's freaking out that Steven's not home. I think she's hot like this, but have you seen him?"

"Not since yesterday," Dipper admitted with a frown.

"Well, that sucks. He left a note saying that he was going to a factory for a book signing," the blue Gem revealed with a small frown, hiding her worry for her young charge better than Peridot was. "I mean, he's probably fine, but I wish I could've gone with him. I'm always happy to go to anything related to his sci-fi stuff."

"Wait a minute…" Dipper said, focusing on one specific part of what Lapis said. "Steven said he went to a factory?"

Lapis nodded, unsure of where he was going with this. "Yeah, his note said something about that old one across town, near the cliffs. I mean, he was specific, but if he doesn't come home soon, we're going after him."

Dipper came to terms with a troubling realization, his suspicions confirmed when Lapis mentioned it was by the cliffs. All at once, his confusion dissipated and was filled with concern for at least two of his friends that were likely in danger indirectly because of him.

"Hey, Dipper?" Lapis asked in confusion, having noticed his concerned expression. "Are you okay?"

"Oh, uh…yeah, Lapis," Dipper shook his head in agreement, knowing that there was time to lose. "I just need to go somewhere. See you tomorrow, Lapis!"

"Okay, be safe!" Lapis called out after Dipper hurriedly rode off, immensely confused as to what the rush was. Still, his antics put a twinge of fear in Lapis' heart as she inwardly decided to follow him. She summoned her water wings and flew high into the sky, never losing eye contact with the boy.

 **Warehouse (Interior) 7:10 PM**

In a matter of mere minutes, the factory was in absolute chaos. There were several broken boxes of merchandise scattered throughout the building, and yet the possess trio still had several on hand to use as ammunition. Pacifica laughed in twisted amusement as the kids did their best to kill each other. However, since they weren't in control of their actions, Steven was unable to summon his shield, but he still retained his incredible strength and assaulted both girls by hurling the heavier boxes at them, but was unsuccessful at hitting either of them.

The girls had less of a chance as Mabel lacked her telekinetic abilities in this state and Connie could hardly lift any of the boxes that could do any damage. Still, given that it was an essential free-for-all, it seemed that Steven would be the eventual winner. Eventually, they ran out of boxes and all three mind-controlled kids were panting heavily in exhaustion, which made Pacifica happily smile, knowing what would come next.

"Now, finish each other," Pacifica ordered as the kids met each other in the middle of the room. Just before any of them could strike, Dipper miraculously opened the door, which garnered everyone's attention.

"Pacifica!" the factory doors opened as an angered Dipper arrived, his hands clenched into tight fists as he glared venomously at the child hypnotist. "We have to talk!"

Pacifica instantly froze as she saw the object of her affections, which instantly made her lose her concentration on the trio, temporarily giving them enough control to realize what was going on. "D-D-Dipper!" Pacifica stuttered, knowing that she'd been caught red-handed. "My prince! What are you, like, doing here?"

"Ugh, my head," Mabel said groggily, unaware that hers, Steven's, and Connie's irises were purple, signifying that Pacifica could easily enthrall them again.

"Whoa, why are your eyes purple, girls?" Steven asked in confusion.

"Yours are too, Steven," Connie stated in shock as she rubbed her temples. "Did she just mind-jack us?"

"Pacifica, I'm sorry," Dipper frowned sincerely, temporarily ignoring his recovering friends, as he walked towards the child hypnotist. "I just can't be your prince. I needed to be honest and tell you that myself."

"I…I don't get it…" Pacifica said in disbelief, clearly taken aback. She squeezed her amulet tightly, its magic slowly threatening to take over the trio's minds again, which made their eyes widen in apprehension.

"Uh, Dipper, this isn't the best time to be honest right now!" Mabel exclaimed fearfully, unwilling to fight her friends.

"Seriously, stop talking!" Connie begged as she felt her mind slowly give in to the magic.

"I-I don't want to hurt them!" Steven added as he formed desperate tears.

Dipper glanced to his sister and friends, concern flashing over his face, though he gave them a small nod, assuring them all that he had a plan. "Hey, but you shouldn't be too upset, Pacifica," he offered Pacifica a small smile as he placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "We can still be friends, right? Would you like that?"

"R-Really?" Pacifica asked hopefully as she relinquished her hold on her amulet, which was all the opportunity Dipper needed.

"No, not really!" Dipper exclaimed as he violently tore the amulet from her collar and threw it towards the door. The trio let out cries of surprise as they felt the amulet's power fade from their minds, their irises returning to their normal color. "You were attacking my sister and my new friends! What the H is wrong with your head, girl?!"

"My amulet!" Pacifica gasped, stunned by the turn of events as she attempted to retrieve it, only for Dipper to hold her in her place. "Let me get it back! I literally stole it from the Gems and…!"

"You did what?!" Lapis yelled incredulously as she retracted her water wings and entered the building, all of them taken by surprise at her arrival.

"Lapis!" the kids, sans Pacifica, cheered happily as she bent down and held the amulet in her hand, her eyes widening in shock when she recognized it.

"This is a Gem artifact that gives its user mind-controlling abilities! We thought we misplaced it months ago!" Lapis yelled as she stored the artifact in her Gem, forever keeping it out of Pacifica's reach unless she shattered her. She then stared at the blonde girl in anger and asked, "You used this on Steven and his friends?"

Pacifica was at a loss for words, unable to defend herself verbally or physically now. However, she was never the type to admit defeat and did the only thing she could think of at this moment. Enraged, she grabbed Connie and crashed into a window, which shattered upon impact.

"Connie!" Dipper and the others yelled in concern as Lapis immediately took initiative and summoned her water wings to go after them, but not before she got the remaining kids on her back. At first, the girls panicked as they fell, even though their decent turned into a skirmish as the Pacifica punched her face. The fight soon turned into a mid-air slap fight that continued until they felt a pair of arms embrace them.

The girls looked up and saw Lapis flying safely towards the ground, with Dipper, Mabel, and Steven on her back. The blue Gem didn't seem to mind the extra weight as she nonchalantly let go of them both once they were on the ground, with Connie immediately hugging Lapis once she did.

The kids disembarked her as Lapis formed a warm smile from Connie's embrace. However, that immediately changed into anger when she saw Pacifica fleeing from her. As a sign of retaliation, Lapis used some water from nearby plants and shot a torrent at Pacifica, which ended with her on a small log in a soaking wet dress.

The girl would've readily attacked them for doing such a thing, but the fact that she was surrounded by mud made her relent. However, this only delayed the inevitable as Pacifica couldn't retain proper balance in her black boots.

"Hey, don't just stand there! Help me!" Pacifica childishly begged, with none of them rushing to her aid.

"After what you've done, you're lucky I don't give you a spanking, young lady!" Lapis vocalized, immensely angered by the fact that she mentally hurt Steven and his friends.

Unable to grasp the consequences of her villainous acts, she looked towards Dipper with a hopeful smile, thinking that she could charm her way out this somehow. "I'll totally treat you nicely this time! No more mind tampering for this girl! What do you say?" Pacifica bargained, but that only increased the group's ire. However, they were surprised when Dipper motioned for them to stay back as he approached her, much to their confusion.

"Oh, I knew it! I knew you wouldn't let me fall!" Pacifica praised with a smile, which turned to confusion when she saw Dipper's morose and bitter frown.

"Fool me once, shame on you," Dipper began as a single tear fell from his left eye, with Pacifica unsure of where he was going with this. However, anger filled his voice as he said, "But think I'm stupid enough to fool twice? No thanks!"

With that final yell, Dipper coldly kicked the log from under her feet, which made the girl's eyes widen in apprehension as she fell face-first into the mud, utterly ruining her dress. Pacifica seethed in anger at this act as she struggled to get up, but she fell with every attempt. Eventually, she merely looked at them all and declared, "You're all going to pay! You hear me?!", only to fall once more into the mud, much to the group's amusement as they abandoned her. After all, without her amulet, what threat could she be now?

 **Pacifica's House 1** **st** **Floor (Living Room) 8:09 PM**

After finally getting out of the mud, Pacifica marched all the way back home, utterly angered and baffled by the night's events. However, when she entered her house, she was even more confused by the fact that her living room was in shambles and her father was lying on the carpet with several bruises and a black eye.

"Daddy, what happened?" Pacifica asked tersely, giving her injured father no sympathy.

"It was Ford, Honeypot," Preston hoarsely revealed as he struggled to get up. "Without the amulet's power, he regained his memories and knew what you did to him. I tried to fight him off, but he overpowered me."

"What good are you, then?" Pacifica coldly asked as she looked towards the kitchen and yelled, "Mom, where are you?!"

Priscilla entered the room with an oddly relaxed smile as she snacked on a piece of butterscotch, which confused Pacifica because she hated that candy and there hadn't been any in the house in years. Still, that did nothing to curtail the girl's current anger towards the Pines family, Steven, the Gems, and now Connie.

"Well, whatever! As far as I'm concerned, the entire Pines family is literally on our revenge list!" Pacifica yelled angrily as she harshly slapped the candy from her mother's hand before she retreated upstairs to shower and change her clothes.

"Hmm, it seems that she's in one of her rages again, isn't she, Dearest?" Preston asked his wife who didn't provide any response before she grabbed another piece of candy from a small burlap bag on the counter, with the label "Property of Ford".

 **Ford's House 1** **st** **Floor (Living Room) 8:23 PM**

It was relatively late when the kids and Lapis arrived at Ford's home, the latter thoroughly exhausted by what Pacifica made them go through. Lapis was tempted to fly them all home, but the kids declined, saying that they needed some time to come to terms with the night's events. Thankfully, none of them were physically hurt and the amulet was safe in Lapis' gem. Knowing that they needed time to rest, the kids all sat on the couch while Lapis stood over them in case they needed her.

They'd only rested a few moments before Ford's car pulled up, the elderly scientist having spatters of Preston's blood on his coat and an immensely satisfied expression. "Why are you kids up so late?" Ford asked the kids as he entered, noticing their rough exterior. "And what in the name of Einstein happened to you? You all look like you lost a fight with Abraham Lincoln in his prime."

"Pacifica," Dipper replied simply and tiredly, with the rest of the kids and Lapis echoing him with the same amount of exhaustion.

"Figures," Ford stated with disdain as he knelt to Dipper's eyelevel and asked, "Are you okay, Dipper? Did she hurt you?"

"Nothing that I can't bounce back from, Grunkle Ford," Dipper replied with a sincere smile. "When it comes to stuff you warn us about, we're _**always**_ going to take your advice now."

"Good to hear and you weren't the only victim of her magic amulet," Ford said with a smirk as he playfully rubbed his head. "She fooled me, too."

"Does that have anything to do with the blood on your coat, Grunkle Ford?" Mabel questioned, which made Ford form an embarrassed blush.

"Well, this may or may not be Preston Pleasure's blood, which is all I'm saying right now," Ford replied, only to form a sly grin and whispered, "It is."

"Whew, go Prof. Pines!" Connie praised as they all erupted into a healthy fit of laughter.

Soon enough, Peridot and Jasper arrived in a hurry, both immensely relieved to see Steven unharmed. "There you are!" Peridot cried with an allayed sigh. "We've been combing the town looking for you!" She then turned towards Lapis and asked, "Why didn't you bring him back when you found him?"

"Hey, I was going to, honest!" Lapis protested as her gem glowed for her to retrieve their previously stolen amulet, which she effortlessly fished out and held in front of her teammates as the glow died down. "Things got a bit…hectic tonight." Lapis said with a sheepish grin.

"What the?!" Peridot exclaimed incredulously as she coldly snatched it from Lapis' hands. "We've been looking for this for months! Why did you take it?!"

"She didn't, Peridot," Steven interjected before Lapis could defend herself. "Pacifica stole it from you guys and Lapis took it back. It was how she was able to hypnotize people. She swore vengeance, but without that amulet, I don't think that's possible."

"Pacifica?" Peridot asked in a calm, but confused tone. "How did she even get into our home?"

"We were probably just careless with it," Jasper concluded as she bubbled the Gem artifact before sending it back to the temple. "Let's just be glad it didn't turn out worse."

"Wait, did she hurt you kids with the amulet's power?" Peridot asked in concern.

"Eh, it was nothing we couldn't handle," Steven said with an odd nonchalance that turned into a full-blown grin as he embraced Dipper. "And it was all thanks this this guy! Way to handle yourself with Pacifica in the end and for leading Lapis to the factory, Dipper!"

"Thanks, Steven, but I don't deserve this praise," Dipper said with a guilty frown as he motioned for Steven to end his embrace and looked towards the Gem leader. "Jasper, I didn't listen to your advice and everything almost ended badly tonight. You were right; I needed to tell her the truth from the start. Maybe then she wouldn't have tried to hurt my real friends and sister."

"It's like I said," Jasper said in an understanding tone as she knelt to the boy's level and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Telling the truth about how you feel isn't easy, no matter which side you're on. If Pacifica couldn't handle that, then that's her problem. What's important is that you did what was right for _**your**_ heart. Do you think that you did that, tonight?"

Dipper briefly hesitated to answer that, a small part knowing that he should've ended things with Pacifica sooner and better than he had. However, he couldn't help but feel relieved that his relationship with her was undoubtedly over. He would carry the guilt over what happened to his sister and friends, but in the end, everything was fine. True, Pacifica reacted violently to the rejection, but as Jasper said, it was her problem, not his. After all he'd been through in the past few days, he answered her with certainty and said, "Yeah. I think I did."

Jasper simply smiled and nodded at this, satisfied with his response. Ford soon cut in, however, breaking up the moment with some concern. "I appreciate you helping my great-nephew, but I think that it's time for the twins to go to bed. It's not every day a crazy girl messes with your head."

"As odd as this is for me to admit, I'm with Ford," Lapis assented as she offered Steven her hand to hold, which the young Gem readily took. "Let's go home, Steven. Connie, you can come with us and call your parents."

"Nice," Steven grinned as he followed the Gems out, blushing slightly when Connie took his other hand with a soft smile. Still, he managed to nervously turn his head and say, "S-S-See you guys later!"

"Bye, Steven! Bye, Connie!" the twins called in unison as they headed off to bed with Ford doing the same. For the moment, things were peaceful for the Pines, Gems, and Connie. In the wake of this stressful time, it looked like they could rest easy. Obviously, they were quick to forget about Pacifica's threat, even though the girl herself wouldn't until it was fulfilled.

 **Pacifica's House 2** **nd** **Floor (Pacifica's Room) 12:07 AM**

Even though several hours had gone by and she'd showered and changed into her pajamas, Pacifica was still fuming from her humiliating defeat against Mabel, Dipper, Steven, Connie, and Lapis. She was never the type to forget anyone who crossed her, especially those that denied her of anything she wanted. She planned to have her revenge on the Pines, Gems, and Connie, no matter the cost.

Pacifica channeled her anger into crafting small, wooden dolls, adding onto the collection she had, which consisted of nearly everyone in Gravity Falls. She added four new additions in her fury, letting her frustrations flow with every new addition. "Pacifica, I, like, totally dig you," she said in the manliest voice she could muster as she waved her Dipper doll about, mimicking what she thought her former crush really thought. "If only my lame-o family weren't in the way."

Pacifica picked up the doll she made of Ford some time ago, dropping her voice down as she imitated the elderly scientist. "Look at me. I'm an old nerd!"

Pacifica let out a bitter sneer as she gathered the figurines of the Gems in her hands, holding onto the Lapis doll specifically in anger as she glared at them darkly. "Oh, we're literally just so much better than you!" she mimicked the Gems with clear sarcasm in her voice. "Everybody loves us, even though we're just total idiots."

Pacifica threw the Gems' figures rather roughly, though she took it a step further by removing Lapis' head before she did so. She then grabbed Steven's with contained rage, not as angry with the half-Gem as she should've been, but it was mostly because she considered him a low-priority target right now. "Oh, I'm just a shy goofball. I get roped into adventures because of my friends." she satirized halfheartedly, throwing Steven's doll towards the Gems' own apathetically.

Pacifica's rage returned as she finished Connie's doll, completely incensed as she did her best to copy the young girl, whom she considered was her ultimate rival for Dipper's love. "I'm just a two-timing, little floozy of a girl!" she cruelly mimicked as she threw Connie's doll onto the back wall, decapitating it upon impact.

She mocked Mabel last as she snatched the girl's doll, clearly unhinged in her ranting by this point, though she hardly noticed or cared. "Hey, how are you going to totes get revenge without your precious amulet?"

Pacifica clenched her fist tightly around where her amulet would've been, still outraged that it'd been taken from her so easily. Still, she didn't need it. After all, she had everything she needed to get revenge.

"Oh, you'll see, girl…" Pacifica said ominously as she closed the old book lying on her desk, a red, leather-bound volume with a golden, six-fingered hand on the cover, marked with a bold number two in black ink. "You'll see…"

 **AN: Well, that was quite a ride and the longest chapter I've written so far. This was undoubtedly one of my more darker chapters, but it was still fun to write. It's still an honor and pleasure to do this, Minijen, and I'll continue to do my best.**

 **So, rate, review, and I'll be back with the next chapter as soon as I can. The next one's going to deal with time travel, copy machines, and heartbreak. I think you all know what I'm talking about.**

 **Next time—Chapter 9: Copies and Clones**


	9. Copies and Clones

**AN: Hello, everyone! I'm sorry that this took so long, but I was attending college, so work on this chapter took much longer than I wanted. I'll try to make sure there aren't any huge gaps after this, but no promises since some family's coming over for the holidays.**

 **I would also like to thank you all for your support and am pleased to announce that Momswap Rises now has a trope page! I have no idea who did it, but I am grateful that this is the first one of my stories to ever get one! I'd also like to once again thank Minijen for the cover art she did as a commission!**

 **Now, the adventure continues!**

Momswap Rises

Chapter 9: Copies and Clones

 **Sea Shrine 8:45 PM**

As the name implied, the Sea Shrine rested deep at the bottom of an ocean, which made it one of the most remote Gem structures on Earth. It had glass walls and high-vaulted ceilings, which allowed for a grand view of the sea's beauty. However, it paled in comparison to what the shrine held: a diverse collection of hourglasses that lined its long, singular hall. Steven and the Gems came here on a mission, with the former in awe of the shrine's hourglasses. Still, he remembered all too well about Peridot's warning not to touch any of them. The Gems weren't too far away as they inspected the other hourglasses to find the one they came for: the glass of time.

"Do y-y-you think this might, be it?" Steven nervously asked the others as he pointed to a small, round hourglass. The tiny sphere was easily small enough to fit into the palm of his hand, though he knew better than to pick it up. "Connie might like it."

"Steven, the legendary glass of time wouldn't be the smallest one," Peridot proudly explained as she dismissed the petite object. "It would definitely be huge, like this one!" Peridot exclaimed as she pointed to a nearby hourglass that slightly towered over her.

"I don't know, Peri. Steven might be right," Lapis said as she formed a flirtatious expression. "After all, good things can come in _**small**_ packages."

Peridot merely formed an intense blush as she stormed off to continue their search, too flustered to provide any retort.

"It might be this one," Jasper stated, her left hand stroking her chin in contemplation as she gazed at the largest hourglass in the shrine. It easily towered over all the Gems, but Steven vocalized his feelings first.

"Whoa…" Steven muttered anxiously as he and the others stood in the shadow of the hourglass. "We're going to need a bigger temple."

"Steven's right; how are we even supposed to carry this without fusion?" Peridot asked with a concerned frown, knowing that even Amazonite wouldn't fit in the temple.

"Just leave that to me and my guns," Jasper said confidently as she flexed her arms.

"Jasper, wait!" Peridot exclaimed, stepping in front of Jasper to stop her. "Even though Lapis is here, we need to be careful about which one we touch. Don't you remember what happened last time?"

"What happened, exactly?" Steven asked her, but before the green Gem could answer, Lapis spoke up.

"Hey, I'm going with my gut on this one!" Lapis shouted as she picked up an intricate hourglass with several connected bulbs. "It'd have to be the silliest one, right?"

"Lapis, why?!" Peridot exclaimed in frustration, which only intensified as the entire shrine began to shake.

"Okay, I think I was wrong…" Lapis frowned as she looked at the hourglass she'd chosen, which appeared to be the wrong one.

Suddenly, sea water began to surge into the temple, pouring into the glass structure from a panel in its roof that had suddenly shattered. Lapis put down her hourglass and used her hydrokinetic powers to stem back the tide, but such an act put an enormous strain on her body, one that everyone noticed.

"Lapis keep it up!" Jasper commanded as she wrapped Steven in her arms before she jumped and landed upon the warp pad at the far end of the temple. Peridot was trailing behind, but Lapis was struggling to move from her position. Jasper groaned in aggravation and yelled, "Lapis, stop stemming the tide and get over here! Even you can't keep it up forever!"

"I'm just buying as much time as I can! I'll be there once you get Steven and Peridot on the warp pad!" Lapis replied, much to Jasper and Peridot's confusion once the latter arrived.

"What are you talking about? Steven's right…" Jasper started, only to notice that Steven somehow wriggled free and was now running towards the hourglass collection, much to her and Peridot's apprehension.

"Steven, what are you doing?!" Jasper and Peridot yelled in worried unison.

"Lapis dropped her hourglass!" Steven called back as he retrieved her hourglass. When he walked back towards the duo, he also picked up the small hourglass he was admiring earlier on the way there. "Also, I wanted to get something nice for Connie!"

"Steven, pick up the pace!" Peridot yelled fearfully. "Lapis can't keep the water at bay forever"

"What are you talking about? Lapis has everything under control," Steven said with the upmost confidence in her, unaware that Lapis was visibly struggling. While the blue Gem was gifted in utilizing water, she never bothered to fully learn how to stop it from flowing. As such, she knew that this would end badly if she continued this any longer, and did the only thing she could to get Steven out of here in time.

"Sorry, Steven! Even I have my limits!" Lapis yelled as she stopped holding back the water and sprouted a set of water wings. She quickly flew towards Steven and picked him up before water flowed into the structure like a broken dam. She barely had enough time before she reached the warp pad, which sent them all back home mere moments before the water could've swept them away.

 **Crystal Temple (Steven's Room) 12:05 PM**

Unfortunately, the Gems hadn't been quick enough to warp pack without taking a majority of the wave with them. Water poured into the house, soaking everything in sight, including the Gems who stood upon the warp pad, and Steven, who rode the wave as it flowed onto the floor.

"Thanks for getting my hourglass for me Steven," Lapis said sincerely to her surrogate son as he landed at the foot of the stairs that led to his bed.

"No problem, Lapis, but that isn't something I'd like to happen again," Steven hoarsely said, his clothes and hair sopping. "Ugh, I think I need a shower and a change of clothes."

"Yes, you do, but we know who's to blame for this," Peridot said in aggravation as she eyed Lapis in annoyance and plucked the seaweed from her hair, which somehow retained its triangular shape. "Thanks to you, we'll need to wait another _**hundred**_ years before we can get the glass of time from the Sea Shrine."

"Okay, okay. My bad," Lapis said apathetically as she held the hourglass Steven retrieved for her close. "At least I bought us some time and we didn't leave empty-handed."

Peridot cast the blue Gem a bitter scowl, but it was soon broken with Jasper's next statement as she formed an embarrassed blush. "You have an octopus on your butt," Jasper pointed out, embarrassed for Peridot, which caused the green Gem to panic one more and Lapis to break into a small fit of laughter.

"If you want, I'd be more than happy to take that off for you," Lapis said suggestively as Steven went into his room, which made Peridot blush immensely.

"No, thanks! I got it!" Peridot yelled frantically as she did her best to remove it herself, which made Lapis stick out her tongue at her in playful annoyance.

As Steven fished out a change of clothes from his dresser and a pair of shoes from underneath his bed, his alarm clock suddenly sounded throughout the house. "Oh, yeah! Today's the day," Steven said in remembrance as he turned off the alarm.

"What's today, Steven?" Jasper asked curiously.

"It's the Gravity Falls Preteen to Teenager Winter Dance. Every year, the town picks an adult to be in charge, and this year its Prof. Pines," Steven explained nonchalantly as he headed to the bathroom to shower and change, inwardly glad that his towel was already in there. "He also picked the entertainment and C-C-Connie's performing a few songs. I'm not going to dance, but I-I want to be there for her."

"Great, if Ford's in charge, it'll be as boring as watching paint dry," Lapis said apathetically, much to Peridot's horror as she finally removed the octopus.

"You know that's not true, Lapis!" Peridot defended hotly. "If Ford is in charge, at least it'll be a mature, sophisticated affair!"

"Which is 'nerd' for boring," Lapis retorted halfheartedly as she went back to her room, with Peridot grumbling as she did the same.

"Well, I hope you have fun at the dance, Little Cub," Jasper said sincerely as she headed back to her room, which left Steven to his own devices.

"I'll try!" Steven called back before he closed the bathroom door and turned on the shower.

 **Gravity Falls (Town Square) 12:32 PM**

With Ford in charge of the dance, he took meticulous steps to provide a top-notch affair. As such, he asked for help from Dipper, Mabel, and Robbie to finish the decorations and planning. Since its founding, Gravity Falls held their major town dances in the town square, which only meant more pressure for the elderly scientist. Thankfully, the twins and Robbie were doing a moderately professional job as they decorated the town square with banners and balloons.

"Wow, who would've thought that during our first winter here we'd be decorating an awesome party, Mabel?" Dipper chipperly asked his twin sister, who was having a harder time enjoying herself.

"Yeah, its…all the rage," Mabel said hesitantly with a bored expression as she set up the table for the refreshments.

"Come on, sis. I know dances aren't your favorite, but this isn't about us; we're doing this for Grunkle Ford," Dipper pointed out as he gestured to the elderly scientist going over the checklist.

"I know. I just wish that I was an adult or baby right now," Mabel replied, unwilling to attend the dance.

"Well, you're acting like one of them right now," Dipper said playfully, which made Mabel's mouth twitch slightly upwards. Dipper then wrapped his arm around her and said, "Look, if you're not having a good time, we'll bail, okay?"

"Thanks, Dipper, but you're right," Mabel admitted as she telekinetically set up some tables. "We're doing this for Grunkle Ford."

"Uh, Prof. Pines, is this the only copy of the dance flyer?" Robbie asked Ford as he held up the flyer.

"Oh, no! I was supposed to run down to the copier store, but it must've slipped my mind!" Ford yelled in panic, having forgotten to make copies amidst the party planning.

"Hey, it's understandable, Prof. Pines. I can run down to the copier store and…"

"No, you can't!" Ford interrupted as he gestured to the copier store, which had a closed sign on the door. "The Main Street businesses close in preparation for the dance and without enough advertisement, no one will know about the event!"

"Hey, it's not the end of the world, Grunkle Ford," Dipper said placatingly as Mabel suddenly remembered another copier machine they could use.

"Don't you have a copier machine in the basement?" Mabel asked, which made Ford form a smile.

"By Archimedes, yes! Mabel you're a genius!" Ford praised as he embraced his great-niece, which made her form an embarrassed blush since Robbie observed this with an amused grin.

"Wait, isn't it being held together with duct tape and band-aids?" Dipper asked in confusion as Ford ended his embrace with Mabel.

"Yeah, but it's like that out of absent-mindedness. Stuff like that escapes me sometimes when I'm working on an invention or the school year's curriculum," Ford replied sheepishly before he cleared his throat and stated, "Still, it'll work enough to make some copies."

"Good enough for me!" Mabel declared, wanting to escape from further embarrassment as she took Dipper's hand and telekinetically flew towards Ford's home, much to the boy's joy.

"Awesome! I love my telekinetic sister!" Dipper cheered to no one as the twins vanished from Robbie and Ford's eyesight.

"Does it bother you that Mabel knows how to do that?" Robbie asked Ford in confusion.

"Eh, I've seen weirder things," Ford said nonchalantly as he went over the checklist.

 **Ford's House (Basement) 12:36 PM**

Soon enough the twins arrived and made their trek to their grunkle's basement and found the copier. True to Dipper's description, the copy machine looked like it'd seen better days, but a few lights on its exterior still flashed dully, which gave them the impression that it still worked.

"Mabel, check it out! A winky face!" Dipper exclaimed cheerfully after drawing a face onto the dusty copier with his finger.

Mabel largely ignored him as she lifted the scanner lid up. "I know Grunkle Ford told us this would do the job, but…" Mabel was soon interrupted when she rested her arm on the scanner, which somehow made the machine come to life with a bright green light. The machine managed to scan Mabel's arm before she could lift it away in surprise, and soon enough, it slowly produced a grayscale copy of the girl's arm.

"Ha! Success!" Dipper cheered as he pulled the paper from the tray, holding it up in the air for his sister to see. Surprise soon replaced his excitement as the page suddenly began to shake on its own accord, which made him drop the copy in shock. "Whoa!"

The twins watched with widened eyes as the paper began to crinkle up on the ground before them, until, against all logic, the copied arm somehow managed to pull itself up out of the page and into existence. Dipper and Mabel let out a shared, frightened gasp as the disembodied arm began to slowly and unnervingly pull itself across the floor towards them.

"Stay back!" Mabel warned as she protectively pulled Dipper behind her and pulled out a can of Pitt Cola that her brother took from the refreshment table. Unsure on whether this would even work, she shook up the soda can and opened it straight at the arm. Thankfully, this method worked as the violent soda spray instantly made the arm bubble and disintegrate until it became nothing more than a puddle on the floor.

"Aw, man! I was saving that for later!" Dipper complained and then cleared his throat before saying, "Oh, and uh, thanks for saving us, Mabel."

After the initial shock wore off, Mabel shook her head and focused on the oddity they had just witnessed. "Dipper, I think that this copier can clone human beings!"

"No way!" Dipper gasped, his eyes wide with wonder. "Do you know what this means?" He briefly paused for dramatic effect, but instead of offering a real answer, Dipper said, "Now I can clone as many girls as I want!"

 **Gravity Falls (Town Square) 1:03 PM**

Before heading over to see Connie about her performance, Steven decided to pop in to check on Ford and the others on how the party planning was going.

Steven hummed happily to himself on his scooter, hoping that Connie would like the hourglass that was now tucked away in his shirt pocket. He parked it next to a table and set his helmet on top before he made his way to the group. Though Ford and Robbie were too busy to notice his arrival, Dipper and Mabel weren't as they returned from Ford's home on foot, a large stack of flyers split between them. "Steven!" the twins greeted cheerfully, which alerted the others to his presence.

"Hi, guys!" Steven greeted warmly. "A-Are you ready for the party t-t-tonight?"

"I'm a party machine, Steven!" Dipper proclaimed, energetically pumping his fist.

"It's true; we've gotten neighbor complaints on every one of our birthdays," Mabel said with a knowing chuckle, aware on how carried away her brother could get when it came to parties.

"Yeah, it's going to be epic, especially since I convinced Prof. Pines to let Jenny deejay tonight!" Robbie said zealously.

"You know, I'm not your teacher over the break, Robbie," Ford said as he continued to go over the checklist. "You can call me by my first name."

"Okay…Ford," Robbie said in contained excitement before he cleared his throat and said, "Jenny will bring sweet beats tonight. She actually deejayed at our kindergarten dance."

"Wait, what?" Dipper asked, finding such a thing hard to believe.

"What can I say? The girl's got DJ blood coursing through her veins, even back then," Robbie admitted, fondly remembering that night.

"Well, regardless, she's not the only entertainment we'll have tonight," Ford clarified as he turned towards Steven. "Have you heard anything from Connie?"

"Not yet, but I'm on my way to see her!" Steven exclaimed as he formed a small blush. "I uh, found something that I think she'll like."

"Good luck, bro," Robbie encouraged as Steven bid farewell to them, intent on seeing them later tonight.

"Okay, let's look alive, party people," Ford called, gathering everyone in front of him. "With Jenny deejaying and Connie providing live entertainment, there's one important thing left. Robbie, Dipper, the two of you will man the ticket stand."

"What?" Dipper asked with a disappointed frown. "But Grunkle Ford, this party will be my best chance to score dates with some fine honeys or make new friends! I'm an extrovert!"

"Uh…I could always work with Robbie instead," Mabel awkwardly volunteered, enticed by the concept of getting to work one-on-one with the boy she had a crush on.

Ford formed a worried expression as he knelt to her eyelevel. "You do realize that if you do, you'll need to commit to staying at the stand all night with Robbie. There's no loopholes to this. The two of you, _**alone**_ , all night. Can you promise me that you'll stick to it?"

Mabel paused before answering, stealing a glance over at Robbie as he and Dipper were enjoying a conversation. As the teen let out an amused laugh, Mabel couldn't hide her small, love-struck grin on her face. "I promise."

 **Gravity Falls Forest 1:15 PM**

Steven pushed his foot forward on the ground before he made it to the forest entrance. Since Connie informed him of a shortcut to her home, Steven dismounted his scooter and walked into the forest, bringing it with him since the scooter wasn't equipped for dirt or grassy roads.

However, his journey was soon halted when he heard someone crying nearby, most likely a child. While Steven would've left well enough alone to find Connie, something about this crying made his heart sink enough that he inwardly apologized to Connie as he went to investigate.

Steven followed the cries and left his scooter in a nearby bush to find the source. Soon enough, he found the source, but he almost wished he hadn't when he realized who was crying; Connie. The distraught girl had her yellow backpack on and was sitting on a log in the middle of the forest, crying immensely. While Steven didn't have any experience when it came to solace, Connie's depressed state made his decision for him.

Steven took a deep breath and walked towards the despondent girl, which alerted her to his presence. As such, when Connie let out a sharp gasp, Steven almost abandoned his journey. The two kids remained in silence for a while before Steven resumed with no further objection from Connie as he sat alongside her.

"Uh, Connie…how are you?" Steven asked hesitantly as he formed an awkward blush.

Knowing that she couldn't really get out of this, Connie let out an uncharacteristic sigh before she said, "I've…had better days, Steven."

"What's wrong?" Steven asked, his voice slightly cracking.

"Well, it's about the dance. I'm not playing tonight," Connie tearfully revealed, much to Steven's shock.

"Connie, where's this coming from? You told me how y-y-you've been practicing for this ever since Prof. Pines picked you as live entertainment," Steven said in disbelief.

"It's not that I don't _**want**_ to, Steven. I just can't, period!" Connie said in rare aggravation as she let out a sorrowful sigh before she opened her backpack and pulled out the source of her melancholy demeanor. Steven let out a sharp gasp when he recognized it: Connie's violin, broken in half.

"W-What happened to your violin, Connie?" Steven asked sympathetically.

"It was an accident," Connie stated as she put the violin back and composed herself, but kept the backpack in front of her as she explained. "This morning, I was bringing it downstairs to fine-tune it for tonight, but I tripped and fell on top of it at the foot of the stairs."

"Are you hurt?!" Steven asked worriedly, which was answered by Connie's nonchalant chuckle.

"Don't worry, my dad's a doctor; he did a check-up at the hospital and everything's fine," Connie revealed, only to let out a morose sigh as she gazed at her broken violin in front of her. "I just wish that one of my parents knew how to fix a violin. Since the music store is closed for the dance, there's no way to repair or replace it in time."

"Connie, I'm sorry to hear that. I wish I could…" Steven said sympathetically, only to trail off when he remembered something that would at least make her feel better. "Oh, I k-know that this isn't a cure-all, but I-I want you to have this."

Connie paused at Steven's words and gasped when he fished out the tiny, spherical hourglass from his shirt pocket.

"Whoa, what is that?" Connie asked, amazed as she held the hourglass in her hands.

"It's uh…just something I got from the latest Gem mission. I-I wanted you to have it as a-a good luck charm for tonight," Steven revealed nervously as he formed a small blush, immensely pleased that Connie liked the gift.

"Thank you, Steven!" Connie yelled cheerfully as she wrapped her arms around the boy, which only made Steven form a stronger blush.

The moment soon came to an end as Connie ended the embrace and put the hourglass in her pocket, forming a small blush from Steven's actions. Connie then composed herself and sincerely said, "I really needed something to make me smile, today. I'll have to tell Ford, but I'll be at the dance tonight anyway. I love this, Steven."

"I-I-It was no trouble, Connie," Steven said nervously, fully aware that his voice was cracking and his face couldn't be any redder than it was right now.

As if someone was torturing the boy, Steven went nearly catatonic when Connie gave him a light peck on the cheek before leaving. His face turned into a new shade of red for him as he finally collapsed with a blissful smile on his face.

Meanwhile, Connie had a warm blush of her own as she admired the trinket Steven gave her, utterly grateful that she'd befriended such a sweet boy. Still, she couldn't help but remember the reason Steven gave her the hourglass in the first place, which made the girl form a bittersweet expression as she mused to herself.

"Man, as much as I love Steven's gift, I wish I could have been more careful with my violin this morning," Connie innocently lamented to the hourglass in her hands.

Suddenly, the young girl abruptly and completely disappeared into thin air, leaving nothing behind.

 **Connie's House 1** **st** **Floor (Connie's Room) 8:00 AM**

In the blink of an eye, Connie found herself back in her room, much to her absolute confusion, especially as she glanced around the room to see herself slumbering in her bed, clad in her yellow pajamas and snoring loudly.

"What the…how'd I…?" Connie whispered in bewilderment, only to feel her heart sink once her _BABBA_ alarm clock went off. As "Disco Girl" played in the room, Connie knew that she didn't have much time before the second Connie would wake up. Unsure on how she would react, Connie quickly hid in the closet and watched the second Connie intently.

Sure enough, the young girl was correct as her doppelganger woke up a few seconds before she would've seen her. Although, Connie suppressed a small chuckle when she saw how she usually woke up.

" _That girl is you. OOH OOOH, OOH OOOH!"_ the second Connie sang triumphantly as she turned off her alarm and let out a long yawn.

"Connie, get showered and changed! Breakfast is almost ready!" Priyanka called affectionately from downstairs.

"I'm on it, mom!" the second Connie replied as she obliviously got a change of clothes from her dresser and walked towards the hallway bathroom, much to Connie's relief since she could exit the closet now.

"Okay, Connie, either you're going crazy or…" Connie trailed off as she glanced at the hourglass, an exciting thought popping into her head. She soon formed a large smile and excitedly whispered, "I'm a time traveler now!"

Ordinarily, Connie wouldn't have been excited with a classic sci-fi concept, but the fact remained that the hourglass somehow enabled her to have a second chance. Knowing that her other self would be busy in the shower, Connie quickly searched her room and found her violin on the dresser, in perfect condition, which made her smile immensely.

"Nice! Now I can perform!" Connie shrieked excitedly, unaware that her father was on the other side of her room's door.

"Connie, why are you still in there? Aren't you in the shower?" Doug asked in concern as he knocked on the door.

"Oh, I-I'll be right there, dad!" Connie quickly stated, unaware that the second Connie heard him as well.

"What are you talking about, dad? I'm in here!" the second Connie called from the bathroom, which made Connie's heart sink.

Suddenly, the door opened, which revealed a nervous Connie standing in front of the past version of her father. However, Doug had a perplexed and annoyed expression on his face as he stared at Connie.

"Connie, are you trying to prank me? You know I don't like that," Doug lightly accused, with Connie unsure on how to explain herself.

"Oh, never, dad! I was just uh…" Connie trailed off, knowing that she couldn't just tell her father that she was from the future.

"Well, then you won't mind if we go see who's in the shower, then," Doug said as he grabbed Connie's arm and dragged her to the bathroom, her heart beating faster in apprehension. When Doug authoritatively knocked on the door, the second Connie answered him.

"I'll be done in a few minutes, dad!" the second Connie said from the other side.

"Oh, will you now?" Doug asked rhetorically, believing that Connie set up a tape recorder in the bathroom.

With that, Doug opened the unlocked door, inwardly aggravated that Connie apparently forgot to lock it again. He and Connie saw the shower running and heard an embarrassed gasp before the current occupant poked her head out in anger.

"Dad, why are you in…?!" the second Connie yelled, only for it to remain unfinished as she and Doug formed utterly baffled expressions at the sight of the original Connie, which made her break into a nervous sweat.

"Uh…I can explain?" Connie proposed nervously, only for both Doug and her doppelganger to scream in disbelief, which attracted Priyanka's attention as she ran upstairs.

"What's going on up there?!" Priyanka yelled in concern as Connie heard her footsteps fast approaching. Unwilling to subject her mother to a potential freak out, Connie took advantage of this moment and whispered, "I wish I could go back in time and stop myself from being discovered."

Thankfully, the hourglass complied and enveloped the young girl in its glow, which brought her right behind herself the minute she found the violin.

"Nice! Now I can…!" the past Connie started, only for future Connie to put her hand over the past Connie's mouth, mere moments before their dad would've heard them. After a few moments, future Connie released her grip, which allowed the past Connie to look at her in awe.

"Are you…future me?" the past Connie asked in contained awe, realizing that there had to be a reason as to why she came back to this exact moment.

"Yeah, I'm you a few minutes from now. If I hadn't stopped you, dad would've found me, uh…us?" the future Connie stated awkwardly, unsure on how to refer to herself and her doppelganger.

"Whatever the case, what do we do now?" the past Connie asked as she formed a worried expression. "We might rip apart the space-time condominium if we get caught."

"I think it's continuum, but we should be fine," the future Connie corrected, remembering the extensive lecture she'd gotten from Steven and Mabel on the proper terminology.

"Well, we both have our violins, but one of us can't just stay here," the past Connie pointed out, knowing that it would likely end badly if either of them stayed. However, this wound up giving future Connie a solution to their problem.

"Hey, you can just come with me to the future and help me perform tonight!" the future Connie brightly suggested, which made past Connie smile brightly.

"That'd be awesome! If we leave out the time traveling thing, no one would question it in this town!" the past Connie exclaimed, knowing of the citizens' general denial of the supernatural.

"Exactly, but if we're going to do this…let's do it right," the future Connie said as she formed an excited smile, holding out her hourglass for emphasis.

"You read my mind, sister," the past Connie admitted as the two girls vanished once again in the hourglass' light.

Soon enough, the original past Connie entered her room, now clad in her usual clothes and with a bright expression on her face. However, it soon turned to confusion when she noticed that her violin wasn't on the dresser.

"What happened to my violin?" the original past Connie wondered as she looked through her room to find it.

 **Ford's House 2** **nd** **Floor (Attic) 7:32 PM**

Mabel smiled at her reflection as she finished smoothing out her sky blue, knee-length dress. While the young girl detested wearing dresses, such an event was too important for her to ignore that. She knew that if she was going to get anywhere with Robbie, she had to look desirable and exude confidence, even though she knew that she normally lacked both. Fortunately, Mabel planned that she might end up blundering this, what was why she spent the last hour or so to prepare for the evening. If the plan worked, then Robbie might finally see her as more than "just a kid".

However, Mabel's air of confidence broke when she turned to see her twin brother inches away from her, which slightly startled her. It soon turned into a plaintive scowl as she noticed her brother's broad, teasing expression. "What?"

Dipper's grin widened as he stepped away from his sister, making his voice feminine to mimic her. "Oh, Robbie, you're so handsome! Let's work the ticket counter together and make out!" To top his impression off, he wrapped his arms around himself and made comical kissing noises before breaking into a fit of laughter.

"Laugh if you must, little brother," Mabel rolled her eyes, unfazed by Dipper's antics. "But I've devised a plan to make sure my night with Robbie goes perfectly. And when I end up dancing with him, then we'll see who has the last laugh."

"Wait, did you…make _ **another**_ overcomplicated list?" Dipper asked with a frown, knowing that his sister tended to overthink everything.

"Overcomplicated? Yeah, right," Mabel scoffed. "Let's just look at the evidence…" she paused as she pulled out a small piece of paper from her matching shoulder bag, though Dipper pinched the ridge of his nose as he watched her unfold a lengthy list. "Okay. Step one: getting to know each other better with playful banter. Banter is talking, only smarter."

"Ugh…you know I love you, but you're setting yourself up for failure, sis," Dipper groaned, knowing as well as she did that the chances of this night being the start of something more for his sister and Robbie were slim to none.

"Oh, I wouldn't count me out just yet, Dipper," Mabel asserted playfully as she glanced over her list again. "With the help of steps one to eleven, nothing will stop me from the final step: asking him to dance!"

"Oy, sis," Dipper groaned, interrupting his sister's daydream of dancing with the teen of her affections. "You're the only one getting in the way, Mabel! When it comes to charming ladies, all I do is walk up to them and talk. You know, like normal people?"

"That's step nine, little brother," Mabel grinned confidently as she pointed to number nine on the list, which was indeed _"talk to him like a normal person"_. Dipper merely rolled his eyes as he went to get ready for tonight, knowing that there was no reasoning with his sister at this point.

 **It's A Wash (Garage) 7:35 PM**

" _Can't you see it in my eyes?"_

" _I'm the one—I'm the one!"_

" _Two!"_

" _Three!"_

" _Four!"_

" _I'm not like the other girls…"_

" _She's not like anybody!"_

" _Well, that's not completely right. There's a few that I'm just like!"_

" _Connie and the Connies! We're going to make you smile!"_

" _Me, myself, and I, and her, are all the same girl!"_

" _Connie and the Connies! Come on, now, let's be pals!_

" _Me, myself, and I, and her—"_

" _That's me!"_

" _Are all the same gal!"_

The quartet of Connies finished their rehearsal in perfect harmony, their final note resonating throughout the garage. Even though the band existed for a few hours, they had already succeeded in writing, practicing, and perfecting a song. Granted, all the Connies attributed their success to them all being essentially the same person, but even so, excitement reigned in the group as they exchanged a round of congratulatory high-fives.

"Great singing, Connie!" the second Connie, officially named "Connie-2" by the original, praised her counterparts with a wide grin.

"Thanks, Connie!" the original Connie nodded proudly, glad that she managed to persuade Steven's father to let them practice in his garage, though doing so under the pretense that it was only her since the others hid to prevent him from asking any questions. "Let's just hope everyone doesn't freak out when they see quadruple tonight!"

"Nah, you worry too much!" Connie-3 said dismissively. "Now, how about I sing this time?"

"Well, I usually sing lead since...before I met Steven, I did this on my own," Connie pointed out, slightly remorseful that she hadn't considered asking him to help.

"Oh, yeah. I did that too!" Connie-2 exclaimed.

"Me too!" Connie-3 added similarly.

"Same here! We all do!" Connie-4 concluded. "We're all Connie!"

"Oh, right," the other Connies laughed, though the original was unamused.

"Well, there's no way we can _**all**_ sing the lead. Someone needs to be the band leader," Connie said as the others offered a hum of agreement.

"Oh, I know!" Connie-4 perked up. "The leader should be the original Connie!"

"The one that's been around the longest!" the other Connies agreed in unison.

The first Connie beam upon hearing this as her counterparts pointed towards her. "Yeah, okay," she shrugged, passing off her leadership role amicably. "I guess I can be in charge…and with me as the leader, I say that we're ready to play at the party tonight!"

"Yeah!" the others cheered happily, raising their violins in revelry.

"So, with that out of the way, let's get going!" Connie urged as the rest of the group gathered their instruments and headed towards the town square.

 **Gravity Falls (Town Square Entrance) 8:04 PM**

The party had largely kicked off into full swing, with a line of zealous preteens and teenagers ready for a night of fun and excitement. Ford was pleased with the number of guests that had arrived, inwardly glad that it was going off without a hitch. Even better, since it a non-profit event, all proceeds from ticket sales went to the town. Still, Ford meticulously went over the party checklist to make sure things were running smoothly. "So, can your grunkle be fun, or what?" Ford asked Dipper as the two of them looked out over the dance floor, the latter clad in a dark blue dress shirt, white jeans, and blue shoes. The party kept up a consistent flow of activity thanks to Jenny's deejaying skills, which had not been exaggerated by Robbie in the least.

" _Wow to the wow! This party's electric!_ " the teenager called out over the mic as she hit the keyboard for the electric sound effect, which went perfectly with her techno beat.

"Aw, yeah foxy mama! That's my girlfriend!" Sour Cream randomly shouted from the crowd, which brought a warm blush and smile to Jenny's face.

"I have to admit grunkle Ford, I thought that this party would be a total bust," Dipper grinned up at Ford. "Who knew you had a fun bone in your body?"

"I might be old, kiddo, but that doesn't mean I've missed a step when it comes to partying!" Ford playfully defended.

"Whatever you say, grunkle Ford," Dipper remarked, though Ford quickly became absorbed in his checklist.

"Now, I'm going to make sure that there's no vandalism or theft out there on the dance floor," Ford said, mentally slapping himself for getting off-schedule for that task. "Dipper, go dance with some of the locals. Just stay safe and have fun, okay?"

A small grin spread on Dipper's face as Ford left to take care of his task, excitement filling the boy at the prospect of making a new friend or getting a date. "Well, I came, I saw, and now it's time to conquer!" Dipper declared as he eagerly rushed onto the dance floor.

Meanwhile, Mabel had no problem keeping her promise to Ford as she sat alongside Robbie at the ticket booth. While she was happy beyond belief to hang out with him one-on-one, she scarcely made any conversation with him yet, though she planned on changing that very soon.

As Robbie was busy selling tickets, Mabel took advantage of the moment and quickly pulled out her list, skimming it over under the table. "Step one: casual banter," she reminded herself with resolve. "Hey, so here's a casual question!" she addressed Robbie, cringing at how forced and still her own voice sounded. "What's your favorite music genre?"

"Oh man, I can't pick just one!" Robbie grinned, and though he intended on continuing, Mabel accidentally cut him off.

"No way! Mine too!" she exclaimed hurriedly, though she quickly realized she poorly timed her response.

"Uh, you okay, Mabel?" Robbie asked in confusion.

"Uh…I…I mean…" Mabel stammered, knowing that it was far too late to catch herself. Robbie looked to her expectantly which was why she quickly diverted his attention away from her the only way she could think of: "accidentally" spilling her drink on the floor. Robbie merely shrugged as he got back to work, while Mabel hunched over her list in panic again. "New topic! New topic!"

Serendipitously, Mabel was saved from further embarrassment as a round of rowdy cheers sounded from behind them. Curious, Robbie stood up and glanced at the amazing party, excitement spreading on his face as he watched the event heat up. "Epic! I knew that Jenny wouldn't disappoint, but this is more awesome than I thought it'd be!" he said to Mabel, who quickly shoved her list out of his sight as he turned to her. "Do you mind covering for me, cutie?"

"Oh…it's just that…um—" Mabel began, her heart sinking at the thought of Robbie leaving, though the teen was long gone as he offered her a grateful smile.

"Thanks, Mabel! I owe you a date with my cousin; he's around your age!" Robbie called as he stepped into the party, which left Mabel to her own devices, her heart sinking from Robbie's offer. The girl let out a disappointed sigh as she looked behind her and saw Robbie enthusiastically dancing. Given how focused Ford would be on the party, Mabel assumed that she'd have time for one quick dance with the boy before returning to her post.

"Uh…I'll be right back!" Mabel awkwardly declared to the large crowd still waiting to get their tickets, standing up from the table to go into the party. She didn't make it very far, however, before a firm hand grabbed her shoulder, which stopped her in her tracks.

"Mabel, I appreciate you wanting to dance, but we need someone at the ticket counter. This is a big deal for the town," Ford stated fairly, but firmly as he effortlessly lifted up Mabel by her dress collar and placed the girl on her chair.

"B-But Grunkle Ford—" Mabel began to explain, but Ford didn't have the time to hear her out.

"Look, I'm already behind schedule so I'll say this: if you leave, you're grounded," Ford stated before he went back, which made Mabel let out a defeated sigh.

Mabel continued her post as she begrudgingly sold tickets to the eager, oblivious patrons. Of course, it only irked her even more to think that just a few feet behind her, Robbie was enjoying himself and just waiting for someone to come and dance with him. "If only I could be in two places at once…" she muttered morosely, though her train of thought was interrupted by the arrival of a set of unexpected customers.

"Four tickets to the party, please!"

Upon hearing the familiar voice, Mabel glanced up, managing a small, yet halfhearted smile as she greeted her friend. "Oh, hey, Connie," she said, though she was quick to pause as she noticed the other three identical figures also standing at the table. "A-And _**Connie**_?!"

"And Connie!" Connie-3 chimed in.

"Don't forget about Connie!" Connie-4 added.

"How the…?! Connie, what happened to you?!" Mabel asked incredulously, her eyes widened in shock after she pinched herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming.

The four Connies all exchanged knowing, amused grins as they discretely held out their respective hourglasses for Dipper to see. "Steven gave me this to cheer me up. He got it from a Gem mission this morning," the original Connie explained. "Based on what I've seen, this can teleport people back in time. I figured that you or Steven would better understand something as sci-fi as this, but since I needed a replacement violin, I used it to round up past versions of myself and make a Connie band to play tonight!"

"Pretty awesome, right?" Connie-2 asked, unaware that Mabel was still trying to make sense of this situation.

"Wait, wait, wait," the girl shook her head, looking between the four young girls. "So basically, what you're saying is…you're all time-displaced copies of the original Connie?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"Pretty much."

"We're all different versions of the same Connie!"

"A Connie quartet, if it helps."

Mabel didn't respond as she gaped at the four Connies for a few moments, an idea budding in her mind to dance with Robbie, even if it was different in execution. "That _**is**_ awesome, Connie—uh…Connies," Mabel said quickly as she hurriedly exchanged their money for tickets. "Well, here you go! Have fun in there, girls!"

"You know it, Mabel!" Connie-4 exclaimed readily.

"I feel kind of bad that you have to miss out on the dance, though," Connie-2 said sympathetically.

"Oh, don't worry about it," Mabel said nonchalantly, already knowing what she had to do if she wanted to dance with Robbie tonight. "I'll see you sooner rather than later…"

"Well, good luck with that," Connie said obliviously as she urged the others to follow her inside. "We're on in about an hour, so let's go have some fun!"

 **Gravity Falls (Town Square) 8:12 PM**

Dipper danced freely and cheerfully as he traversed through the dance floor, subtly flirting with any available girls he managed to come across. Unfortunately, none of them paid him any attention, but that didn't stop the boy from having a good time. As such, he focused on dancing and he quickly became the life of the party, with most of the patrons enthralled by his enthusiasm. Of course, despite his energy, Dipper eventually needed a break to catch his breath, which he took as he went to the refreshment table to get a bottle of water. His chipper mood brightened even more when he recognized someone there.

"Oh, my gosh!" Dipper exclaimed happily as he caught the other boy's attention with a friendly embrace. "Steven! Glad you could make it!"

"H-Hi, Dipper!" Steven greeted nervously as their hug ended and he finished getting a cup of punch. "Y-Yeah, I wanted to come here f-f-for Connie. She was really bummed about breaking her violin this morning, but s-s-she's still coming."

"Oh, you want to try getting a little one-on-one with her on the dance floor, eh?" Dipper said supportively as he playfully nudged Steven, which made him form an embarrassed blush.

"I-I-It's not like that, Dipper! I-I don't even know how to dance!" Steven defended nervously.

"Oh, come on, buddy. I'm just messing with you!" Dipper said playfully as he sat alongside Steven on a row of nearby chairs. "Look, I'm not telling you what to do, but even if Connie isn't as bummed as she was, I think that a dance would really help, you know?"

Steven briefly pondered his friend's words, but his thoughts were soon interrupted when he happened to glance at the larger boy sitting on Dipper's other side, or more specifically, the green lizard resting on his shoulder.

The boy appeared to be around their age, but larger and stouter than Steven. He had fair skin, short, shaggy brown hair, and dark green eyes. He wore a dark purple t-shirt, blue jeans, and white sneakers. This was Greyson Greysonator.

"W-w-what's the deal with that?!" Steven asked fearfully, which surprisingly startled the larger boy.

"S-S-Sorry, sorry! I-I know that I-I shouldn't h-h-have brought Mr. Scales, b-b-but h-he gets lonely!" Greyson nervously replied in an unusually soft voice as he rubbed his left arm.

"Oh, no I shouldn't have freaked out like that," Steven said apologetically as he awkwardly cleared his throat, with Dipper extending his hand out to Greyson on his behalf.

"We're sorry. My friend freaks out like that sometimes. My name's Dipper and he's Steven," Dipper said comfortingly as Greyson accepted his gesture and shook his hand.

"T-Thanks. I'm Greyson and t-t-this is my friend, Candbury," Greyson said with a smile as he gestured to the Asian boy sitting next to him.

Candbury Chiu was twelve-years-old, but unlike Greyson, looked his age. He had light skin, short, black hair stylized into a mohawk, and hazel eyes perfectly framed by his glasses. He wore a lime-green jacket with a white undershirt, blue jeans, and brown boots.

"What's up, bros?" Candbury casually asked in a low voice.

"Whoa, I love your voice, man!" Dipper complimented, which made Candbury smile lightly. He then turned towards Greyson and said, "And your lizard's the coolest thing I've seen at the dance!"

"T-T-Thanks," Greyson said, flattered and flustered by Dipper's compliment.

"Y-Yeah. Sorry I freaked out about it earlier," Steven said as he anxiously rubbed the back of his head.

"I-I-It's okay. It happens more often th-than you think," Greyson said amicably.

"It's really nice to meet you two. You guys are cool," Dipper said sincerely, grateful to have met them with Steven sharing the sentiment.

"Oh, I g-g-guess you're new in town. W-W-We're not cool," Greyson said, ashamed as he stared at his feet.

"Says, who?" Dipper asked in disbelief.

Before the group could converse any further, they were interrupted by an announcement from Jenny over the microphone as she manned the DJ table. _"Remember cool cats and bunnies!"_ the teenager called out as she explained the brief reprieve from her music. _"Whoever parties the most gets to win the party crown!"_ Jenny held up the golden crown, which, despite being made of plastic, had been decorated nicely. _"Most applause by the end of the night, wins!"_

Dipper let out an appreciative whistle, while Steven and Greyson looked nervous and Candbury shrugged nonchalantly. However, before Dipper could officially enter the contest himself, someone else beat him to the punch. A trio of boys, all clad in professional clothing, stepped forward, with the leader of them holding out his hand demandingly as he stood before the DJ table.

The boy appeared to be around their age, but was slightly shorter than Dipper. He had freckled, light skin, blue eyes, and oddly short, well-combed snow-white hair. He wore a dark blue blazer with a white undershirt, black jeans, and white dress shoes. This was Gideon Northwest.

"Party crown, huh? I'll take that, thank you very much!" Gideon said demandingly.

"Uh, who's that guy?" Dipper asked in confusion.

"Oh, the most popular and richest boy in town, Gideon Northwest," Candbury answered with a hint of ire in his tone.

"H-He's…not a nice person," Greyson said anxiously as he looked away.

"Y-Yeah. I know who he is, but I-I-I've kept my distance around him," Steven said nervously, unwilling to face him. Dipper frowned upon hearing this, not liking the sound of anyone who made his friends, new or otherwise, feel bad.

" _Sorry, kid. I just can't give you the crown,"_ Jenny explained to Gideon as she held the crown out of his reach. _"It's a competition, okay?"_

Gideon merely snorted in derision, spinning around to give a caustic look to his potential challengers. "Honestly, who'd want to compete against _**me**_?" he asked sarcastically. "Deep voice? Lizard boy?" After slamming Candbury and Greyson, the heir turned to Steven, his confident grin turning into a distasteful scowl. "Oh, and—who are you again? Sonny Cosmos?"

"Uh, it's actually…"

"Don't care, kid," Gideon interrupted as he rolled his eyes.

"Hold me, Candbury!" Greyson exclaimed fearfully as she embraced the boy, much to his displeasure, both physically and emotionally.

"Ugh, I hate how Gideon makes him like this!" Candbury lamented as he struggled in vain to free himself.

Dipper and Steven stared at the heir angrily, both unwilling to put up with such cruelty. "Why does he have to treat people like that, just because he's rich?" Steven asked as he crossed his arms. "Someone needs to do something about it."

"Don't worry, Steven," Dipper said boldly as he stepped forward. "This guy's mine. Hey!" he exclaimed to Jenny, standing before the table alongside Gideon. "I'll compete!"

Steven, Candbury, and Greyson all gasped in surprise at how forward and unflinching Dipper was in this resolve, despite the hateful scowl Gideon gave him. "Hi, I'm Dipper!" the boy greeted the heir cheerfully, holding out a friendly hand for him to shake.

Gideon sneered, rejecting Dipper's handshake as he harshly slapped it away. "That sounds like a hippie name," he goaded coldly.

"I'll take that as a compliment!" Dipper said chipperly, unintimidated by the boy.

"Please, you have no chance of defeating the Prince of Panache," Gideon said dismissively as he crossed his arms and sized his opponent up. "But I guess the better partier will win in the end. After all, I earned my title and I won't be dethroned."

Unwilling to spare another word on his new rival, Gideon commandingly snapped his fingers, regathering his two friends as the three of them walked away menacingly. "Nice meeting you!" Dipper called after him with a kind grin, though his smile grew daring as he addressed the others. "That jerkwad's going down."

 **Ford's House (Basement) 8:17 PM**

Mabel hesitated as she stood before the copy machine in Ford's basement, the potential hazards of her plan becoming apparent. While things were working out well for Connie and her clones, Mabel wasn't sure if this was the best course of action for herself. Still, if she ever wanted to make any progress with Robbie, she needed to do this now, especially since she barely managed to get away from the crowd by feigning a bathroom break.

With a deep breath of resolve, Mabel lifted the copier head and carefully climbed into the scanner. Fortunately, there was just enough room for her short body as she laid down on top of the glass before she reached over the side to press the copy button. Mabel felt a wave of anxiety as the scanner bar ran over her with its bright green flash, but she knew that she was past the point of no return, especially as the copy printed out into the tray.

Mabel watched in anticipation from atop the copier as the paper slowly slipped onto the ground before it began to steadily ripple. Suddenly, the full copy of the girl came to life, pulling herself out of the paper and slowly, clumsily rising to stand before she turned to face the original.

"Whoa…was my head always that big?" Mabel whispered in awed confusion. She offered her clone a slightly awkward smile as she jumped off the copier and stood before her. The only difference between the two was the fact that the clone was slightly faded in coloration, though it was hard to tell without a close look.

"So, um…" both Mabels began in unison, though they stopped short as they talked over each other. Still, they continued to do so, even if it was unintentional. "Sorry, you first. No, you! Stop copying me!" They let out a shared, amused laugh at this, evidence that they shared the same sense of humor.

Knowing that there had to be some way to distinguish the clone from herself, the original Mabel labeled her clone by marking a '2' in black marker on the clone's hand. "I'll call you: number 2."

"Not an option," the clone dissented as she stroked her chin. "You know, there is a name I've wanted to have for a sister."

Both Mabels exchanged a knowing smile, their wavelength in perfect harmony as they responded in unison once more. "Mina!"

"Okay then, Mina," Mabel began, bestowing the name onto her clone to prevent confusion. "Let's get down to business. I'm thinking that you can cover for me at the ticket stand while I go ask Robbie to dance."

"I know the plan, buddy," Mina reassured her, pulling out her own list from her shoulder bag as Mabel did the same. Mabel took a nervous step away from her clone, realizing that there was a certain level of creepiness in this situation.

"Hey, uh, we're not going to get jealous and turn on each other like the clones in cheesy movies do, are we?" Mabel asked with a disconcerted frown.

"Mabel, bubalah, this is you you're talking about here," Mina said reassuringly. "Besides, if things go downhill, you can always disintegrate me with water!"

"Oh, yeah," Mabel said with a small sigh of relief, inwardly hoping that it wouldn't come to that. "Well, Mina, let's get out there and do this!"

Mina nodded firmly as the two of them headed out to the party, via telekinesis. Oddly, Mina hadn't gotten these powers, so she was forced to hitch a ride with Mabel as they discretely flew away.

 **Gravity Falls (Town Square) 8:22 PM**

After getting back to the party, Mina and Mabel made sure not to walk too close to each other, lest they cause unnecessary confusion. However, they didn't make it very far before they ran into, incidentally enough, two of the four Connies.

"Whoa, Mabel! There are two of you!" Connie-2 exclaimed. "Did you travel back in time, too?"

"I wish," Mabel shook her head. "It turns out the copier in Grunkle Ford's basement can make real, living copies of people."

"Like me!" Mina said proudly as she pointed to herself.

"Awesome!" Connie-3 gasped in amazement. "And I thought that time traveling would be the highlight of the night! Maybe we could all have an awesome clone party later!"

"Wish we could, Connie, but we've got a plan to carry out," Mina said as she wrapped her arm around the original's shoulder.

"You know it, Mina," Mabel confirmed with a confident nod. "This girl's going to help me score a dance with Robbie."

"Cool!" Connie-2 smiled. "I hope it works out for you. Still, we need to find the others and get ready for our performance."

"Whoa, you're right, Connie!" Connie-3 exclaimed as she began to pull her other self away. "We'll be on soon! Hope things work out with you, Mabels!"

"They will!" Mabel and Mina called out after the Connies as they disappeared into the crowd. The duo exchanged a knowing nod at this juncture before separating to go to their decided roles for the plan. As Mina stayed behind to man the ticket stand, Mabel anxiously approached Robbie, who was taking a break from the dance floor as he enjoyed a cup of punch near the chairs.

"Great news, Robbie!" Mabel grinned as she smoothed out her dress. "I got someone to cover for me! So, I'm pretty much free for the rest of the night."

"Way to go, Mabel," Robbie smirked. "Now, you can hang out with me and Wendy."

"Wait, what?!" Mabel asked in alarm as she noticed the older girl standing near Robbie, only visually different compared to the last time she'd seen her.

Now, Wendy had a streak of black in her red hair and multiple black earrings on her left ear. She wore a black, spiked choker with a matching coat that was open enough to reveal her gray undershirt with a red stitched heart. She also wore black fingerless gloves, matching jeans with a hole torn on each leg, and black boots with spikes around the ankles. She also had a black guitar case strapped on her back.

"Like the new look, princess? You could use a change too," Wendy said condescendingly towards Mabel.

"Hey, lay off on the kid, Wendy. She and her friends helped us against the ghost of Ellis Darrow, remember?" Robbie defended, unaware of the small, hurt expression Mabel formed from Robbie's wording.

"They just got lucky, Robbie. I could've taken on the ghost like the bad _mamacita_ I am," Wendy said dismissively as she quickly changed the subject by pulling out an electric guitar from the case. "Hey, I know you like guitars, Robbie. Check out this rental I got the other day for you to practice with."

"Awesome, Wendy!" Robbie said excitedly as he played an impressive riff on the guitar, with Wendy giving a smug expression towards Mabel when Robbie wasn't looking.

Mabel let out a small, horrified gasp upon seeing them together like this, her mind racing over how inconvenient this night would get with Wendy in the equation. Even though the teen was arrogant, rude, and condescending, Mabel knew that she had less of a chance to win over Robbie with her around. The girl came to the obvious conclusion; she had to get Wendy away from here.

Thankfully, Mina came to the same thought as Mabel found herself getting a call from her only seconds later. "Hey, girl. It's me, okay?" Mina said over the phone as she glanced at the party from the entrance. "Looks like the Queen of Darkness just cast an evil spell to ruin our plan."

"Ugh, tell me about it!" Mabel said in exasperation as she distanced herself from Robbie and Wendy to prevent them from eavesdropping. "We've got to get rid of Wendy so I can dance with Robbie!"

"Hey, Mabel!" Robbie called to the girl as he and Wendy began to walk away. "We're going to take some seats by here for a while. Meet us when you're done!"

"O-Of course, Robbie!" Mabel said with a forced smile before she frantically addressed Mina again. "Oh, man! They're sitting on chairs together! If that film in health class taught me anything, it's that teens sitting together ends badly!"

"Hey, calm down, Mabel," Mina cautioned. "We just need to come up with another plan; we're good at that."

"Y-yeah…a new plan…" Mabel let out a nervous breath she'd been holding in as she glanced around the party, until she managed to find Wendy's motorcycle propped up against one of the closed stores. "I think I just got an idea…."

"I'm on the same page," Mina said, not even needing it explained to her. "But, we're going to need some help…"

Meanwhile, Connie managed to round up her temporal copies behind the town square's gazebo without drawing any attention to themselves.

"Okay, Connies," Connie addressed the group, their violins in hand. "We'll be on soon enough, so I wanted us to practice one more time. We've got to nail this, okay?"

"Right!" Connies-2 and 3 agreed, though Connie-4 wasn't as convinced.

"Ugh, do we have to? We're practically prodigies when it comes to this," Connie-4 said with a frown. "Let's just enjoy the party more. We didn't even get to hang out with Steven."

"Yeah!" Connie-3 added. "I want to see how he'll react to four of us!"

"Do you think he might pass out?" Connie-4 said playfully, though before it could spiral out of control, the original Connie cut in firmly.

"Come on, girls!" she urged sternly. "We can hang out with Steven later! Let's just try to be serious about this, okay?"

The other three Connies merely gave her blank stares, which made the original one let out an exasperated sigh. "Maybe we need to set some ground rules, first…" Connie muttered, hoping it would give her copies some focus. "Let me give each of us a role: Connie-2, you're the smart one, Connie-3, you're the funny one, Connie-4, you're the sensitive one and…" She paused dramatically as she pulled off her scrunchie, which revealed her long, luxurious hair that almost reached the floor. "I'm the pretty one! Is everyone okay with that?"

"Okay!" Connies-2 and 3 nodded in content.

"Awesome opossum!" Connie-4 joked, but the original was unamused.

"Connie 4, what are you doing? You're not the funny one; Connie-3 is!" Connie scolded.

"Well, we _**are**_ the same person, so we're all prone to our own moments of levity," Connie-3 mused.

"No, that's way too smart for you, 3! You're the funny one, remember?!" Connie asked, quickly growing frustrated.

"Hang on, which one am I again?" Connie-2 asked, finding it hard to keep up.

"Son of a…Connie-2, you're the smart one!" Connie replied hotly.

"Hey, if the original Connie's the pretty one, does that mean the rest of us aren't cute?" Connie-4 asked with a concerned frown.

"Yeah, right! We're all extremely attractive!" Connie-3 affirmed confidently.

"Let's try to make it as models!" Connie-2 quipped proudly.

"Shut up!" Connie yelled with an annoyed scowl. " _ **None**_ of you are the pretty one! I'm the pretty one, okay?!" Connie stopped short however upon noticing the hurt expressions of her past selves were giving her.

"Do you mean that, Connie?" Connie-3 asked with a saddened frown.

"Of course, she does!" Connie-4 said bitterly. "She hates all of us!"

"Wait, no!" Connie clarified. "I didn't mean to… We—ugh…" She sighed in defeat as the other three Connie glared at her coldly. "Let's just take five."

"There's a _**fifth**_ Connie?!" the other three asked in unified horror.

"No! I mean, let's take a five-minute break!" Connie exclaimed in exasperation.

"We know!" all three Connie laughed, which only aggravated the original more. Needing to clear her head, Connie left her copies to their own devices for a while, hoping that with enough time, they would finally take this seriously.

"I don't believe this!" Connie mumbled to herself bitterly. "I'm so… _ **annoying**_! Is this how I make other people feel? Ugh, I really hope Mabel's having a better time with her clones…"

 **Ford's House (Basement) 8:34 PM**

"And that's where you come in, number 3," Mabel finished briefing her second clone as Mina labeled the back of her hand with a three. Mabel and Mina agreed that this would be the best way to deal with Wendy, at least long enough for the original to ask him to dance.

"Okay, I think I get it…" Mabel-3 said hesitantly. "But what if Wendy catches me? I'll be on my own and I don't have the original's powers!"

"Yeah…that would be a problem…" Mina agreed thoughtfully.

"Ugh, fine. We'll make another one," Mabel nodded with slight exasperation. "Four Mabels, but that's it."

The other two Mabels stood by and watched as the original pulled herself up onto the scanner again and made another copy of herself. Unfortunately, the machine let out a loud, rattling shutter as it inconveniently stopped up, the paper getting stuck halfway out of the printer.

"Oh, dang it. Paper jam," Mina commented as she pulled the page from the printer. However, when this copy came to life, the clone was immensely deformed from its wrinkled paper, and as she pulled herself from it, she let out a continuous, incoherent shriek.

"Wow…" Mabel frowned with slight pity as she watched the newest clone cling onto Mina for support.

"Oh, come on! You want me to team up with this freak?!" Mabel 3 asked callously.

"Hey, don't be rude!" Mina scolded before she turned to the paper jam clone and gave her a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Hey, it'll be okay."

As Paper Jam Mabel continued to shriek wildly, the original Mabel sighed in exasperation, knowing that this new one wouldn't be able to help with the plan. "Okay…just one more clone," Mabel said with resolve.

 **Gravity Falls (Town Square) 8:41 PM**

With the party crown at stake, the party heated up intensely, with Dipper and Gideon competing at the center of it all. The heir had taken the stage first, throwing passion into his performance as he dazzled the crowd with his talent.

The boy had been dancing at such a level that most of the onlookers remained speechless. As the finisher, he pulled out a single red rose from his pocket, lightly sniffed it, and gracefully threw it at the crowd, which caused most of the girls around his age to scramble around to claim it. He then winked at the audience and left to the sound of thunderous applause, stopping briefly to taunt his opponent.

"Beat that, peasant," Gideon discretely whispered to Dipper, who merely formed a rare, angered expression.

"I-I-I used to dance like that," Greyson sadly commented to Dipper, Candbury, and Steven. "B-B-Before I got so huge."

" _And Gideon pulls ahead!"_ Jenny announced to the cheering crowd as the heir looked at the boys smugly.

"Ugh, that _baegchi_!" Candbury shouted fiercely, briefly cursing in his parents' language.

"No need for whatever you called him, Candbury. I've got my own talent for this!" Dipper reassured as he boldly grabbed the mic. Without hesitation, he rushed onstage, grinning brightly at his awaiting audience. "Jenny! Give me the best eighties ballad you have!"

The teenager nodded as she complied, putting one of her favorite songs from the era, one that Dipper instantly recognized. "Thank you," Dipper smiled as he took in a deep breath before he sang along to the tune energetically. _"Don't stop un-believing! Never don't not feel your feelings!"_

The crowd cheered wildly as they all got caught up with Dipper's enthusiasm, Steven, Candbury, and Greyson among the loudest out of all of them. Gideon lightly clenched his fists in anger upon seeing this, knowing that he would do whatever was necessary to win the crown. Meanwhile, Dipper continued his performance for the crowd, spinning the mic gracefully before he shouted into it. " _Watch this, bros!_ " he exclaimed daringly as he effortlessly did a handstand, placed the mic in his teeth, and then jumped back up with the mic in hand after he spat it out. " _That was gross, but I loved it!_ "

As Dipper hoped, the crowd continued to show excitement for his performance as he continued to put his all into it. Meanwhile, one of Mabel's clones discretely ran up onstage, passing a message onto Jenny as she continued to deejay. The teenage girl nodded as the younger girl ran off before speaking out over the microphone. _"Major party foul here, tonight! To the owner of a black motorcycle, your ride's getting jacked!"_ Jenny announced, lightly cringing from how sassily she said the last word.

"Wait, what?!" Wendy exclaimed as she perked up from her spot beside Wendy on the chairs. The teen quickly rushed over to where she parked her motorcycle and saw two figures stealing the vehicle. Unbeknownst to her or anyone else, the culprits were none other than Mabels-3 and 4, both of whom laughed triumphantly as they rode off with Wendy's motorcycle in a slow-speed chase into the woods since neither of them knew how to accelerate the bike properly, even as she began to chase after them. "Just wait until I catch you!" Wendy shouted as she ran after them, which gave the original Mabel enough time to sit next to Robbie.

"Well, that sucks…" Mabel said with mock sympathy as both her and Robbie watched Wendy run out. "I wonder who those two girls are who aren't me because I'm right here."

Before Robbie could question Mabel's odd behavior, Jenny spoke out over the mic again as Dipper's performance ended. _"You're in for a treat, cool cats and bunnies! Up soon, we have a live performance by_ Connie and the Connies! _"_ she announced, reading off the card the original Connie had handed her earlier. _"But first, we're going to get it on. Boys, girls, it's time."_

Suddenly, a slow, romantic pop song began to play, which signaled the attending couples, including Sour Cream and Jenny after the latter put the deejay equipment on auto-play, to the dance floor. "Oh, cool. This is the song my mom and dad danced to all the time when I was a kid," Robbie smiled as he contently swayed his head to the music. Mabel took in a deep breath as she watched him, knowing that this was the perfect chance for her. However, before she could work up the nerve to ask him, Dipper got to her first.

"Hey, Mabel! Now's your chance to ask Rob—" Mabel quickly cut off her brother by throwing an arm over his mouth. Before Robbie noticed, she managed to drag Dipper away from him, her patience incredibly low now.

"Now's your chance to ask Robbie to dance!" Dipper finished with a zealous grin. "Come on! What's the worst that can happen?"

"Other than messing up the dance, saying something embarrassing, or very likely throwing up out of anxiety? Everything!" Mabel confided to her brother as she lightly hyperventilated. "I'm not at that part of the plan yet!"

"Has it occurred to you that the stress of the plan is _**why**_ you can't just talk to Robbie?" Dipper suggested. "Maybe you should take Jasper's advice from when I was dealing with Pacifica: be honest and go for it! Stressing out over what-ifs isn't working out anyway for you."

"It's not the same, Dipper!" Mabel clarified, unwilling to admit that her brother was onto something or that she wasn't ready. "Robbie and I have a _**healthy**_ relationship."

"Mabel…" Dipper playfully prodded as he nudged his sister back towards Robbie.

"Fine, fine! If it'll get you off my case, I'll do it!" Mabel exclaimed, ignoring the bright smile her brother was giving him as she went back to Robbie. She wanted to believe that she had enough courage to ask him, "Will you dance with me?", those five words might as well have been a tongue-twister for her as soon as the teen offered her a casual smile.

"Hey, cutie," Robbie greeted with a relaxed tone. "What's going on?"

"I…I, uh…Well, it's just…" Mabel stammered nervously, knowing that she was quickly nosediving. Her mind desperately searched for something to save face, especially as Robbie's smile faded into a concerned look. Sadly, she knew that she had to count her losses for now and try again later. "Uh…I'll be back soon!"

 **Ford's House 2** **nd** **Floor (Attic) 8:52 PM**

"Oh, you don't need to explain anything to me; you can't just go up and dance with him!" Mina assented as her and Mabel paced around the attic, trying to figure out a new plan.

"The dance floor is a minefield," Mabel said, her tone serious and panicked, unaware that a few objects were floating in the air from her distress. "A minefield, Mina! There's so many variables to consider!"

"Like a glitch in the sound system?" Mina asked, putting forth a hypothetical situation.

"Grunkle Ford might get in the way," Mabel suggested, hoping that the elderly scientist was still busy with the party.

"Wendy could still come back," Mina added objectively.

"Ugh, why are there so many things to consider?!" Mabel lamented as she inadvertently set the objects back to their proper place. "We're going to need help"

"Way ahead of you, Mabel," Mina agreed as she led the way down to the office.

Soon enough, eight more copies of Mabel were brought into the world, flying off the copier at a rapid, successive pace. Thankfully, they all had the same mindset: to help the original Mabel ask Robbie to dance. With more Mabels, their complicated plan became more convoluted, but none of them had doubts it would hinder their success. At the end of their session, each Mabel had been assigned a concrete role, and all of them were eager to execute their mission.

 **Gravity Falls (Town Square) 9:00 PM**

"I just don't know what to do, Steven!" Connie exclaimed after she finished confiding her clone troubles to the boy. "They just won't listen to me and they're so distracted by the dance!"

"Well, they _**are**_ you, C-C-Connie," Steven laughed knowingly. "You can be stubborn, s-s-sometimes."

"Yeah, but I was never this bad! Why won't they listen to me?!" Connie lamented as she ran her fingers through her hair in frustration.

"Maybe you were a little hard on them," Steven suggested as he and Connie stood next to the snack table. "I mean, it's so crazy how this all started because I g-gave you that hourglass." Steven then formed a small frown and said, "If I hadn't, you wouldn't be upset right now."

"No, Steven, it's all me, really!" Connie quickly interjected, unwilling to see Steven blame himself. "What you did was sweet, even if you didn't know this would happen." Connie then lightly cupped Steven's hands, which brought a small blush to the boy's face and made him remember what he talked about with Dipper.

Surprisingly, Steven found his voice and said, "Do y-y-you want to dance…later?" Steven asked nervously, which made Connie form a small smile and blush of her own.

"I'd love to," Connie replied as she gave him a small kiss on his right cheek before she left to talk to her copies, which left the boy in a similar catatonic state from earlier.

Unbeknownst to either of them, the other four Connies had been watching their conversation the whole time, with them all on the verge of tears. It hadn't occurred to any of them at the time, but they all cared for Steven just as much as the original Connie did.

Connie and Steven's interaction on top of their disagreement with Connie filled them with jealousy and animosity towards the original. It was also a reminder that there was only one Steven and they didn't want to mess with time anymore by bringing in copies of him. Still, there was one thing that they _**could**_ do to solve both of their problems.

"We're not letting Connie do this to us. You all know what we have to do, right?" Connie-2 asked, with the other three nodding in affirmation.

With that, they left to go execute their plan, unaware that Connie had been looking for them to patch things up.

"Guys, where are you? Guys?" Connie asked as she roamed backstage to find them.

Meanwhile, Ford had been dealing with damage control after Mabel's clones stole Wendy's motorcycle. As such, he soon found himself backstage with only Connie in his sights.

"Connie, what's going on? Where are the members for your new band?" Ford asked in confusion.

"It's…a long story, Prof. Pines," Connie stated, unwilling to explain who her new members were to him. "Let's just say they're…missing, right now."

"Well, find them soon! You're up in a few minutes and it'll look strange if you're a one-woman-band with that kind of name!" Ford said rapidly as he looked over his checklist. "Okay, as long as there are no more surprises…"

"Hey, guys!" Lapis said cheerfully as she flew towards them, retracting her water wings when she reached the ground.

"Lapis, what're you doing here?!" Ford asked incredulously.

"Hey, it's a party for Gravity Falls' youth. I'm a part of that!" Lapis playfully defended.

"You're thousands of years older than anyone else at this party!" Ford fiercely pointed out.

"So? I'm still a kid at heart," Lapis said apathetically before she shot a warm smile at Connie. "Oh, it's good to see you Connie. Love the looser hairstyle, but have you considered cutting it?"

"It's good to see you too, Lapis. Also, I don't think I'd look good with short hair," Connie said warmly.

"This is no time to be talking about how adorable Connie's hair would be if it was short!" Ford interjected as he firmly said, "Lapis, you need to leave."

"Get lost, dweeb," Lapis lightly insulted as she flew towards the party, with most of the onlookers appreciating her mere presence.

"Ugh, that Gem's going to be the death of me," Ford said bitterly as he begrudgingly went to take care of the rest of his checklist.

With that, Connie suddenly remembered why she was there and continued her search, unaware that her copies were long gone.

Meanwhile, things were going smoothly for Mabel and her clones. They were all at their stationed posts, performing their assigned roles perfectly. Jenny had been aptly distracted by one Mabel as another one took over her spot at the DJ table, to ensure the perfect song was playing. Another Mabel managed to get Ford's attention by causing mild chaos throughout the party, while two more took guard duty to keep a steady watch over Wendy. Once everything was in order, another Mabel rang the bell from the dance floor, which was thankfully within earshot of Mabel and Mina, who were waiting behind the closed music store.

"That's your cue, girl," Mina said encouragingly. "Now's your big chance to ask Robbie to dance. Good luck, original me!"

"Thanks, but I won't be needing luck," Mabel smirked confidently. "I have a plan." With one final nod, Mabel sauntered towards the dance floor to look for Robbie, only to stop short as she rounded the corner of the store and saw Robbie leaning against the wall.

"Hey, Mabel," Robbie greeted warmly. "What's up?"

"What are you doing here?!" Mabel asked, her eyes widened in panic. She managed to compose herself though, knowing that she couldn't risk another freak out in front of him. "I…I mean, wouldn't you rather be out on the dance floor in, uh, exactly forty-two seconds?"

"I'm waiting for the bathroom," Robbie said, his smile fading slightly as he nodded to the portable toilet in front of him.

"O-Oh, of…course, uh…" Mabel said, her voice tight and anxious. She broke into a cold swear as she quickly turned away from him, pouring over her list again for answers. "Small talk. Make small talk!"

"So, hey," Robbie spoke up, apparently launching into small talk first. "Say everyone at this party survives a nuclear apocalypse. Who do you think would lead them?"

Mabel was too dumbstruck to think of an immediate answer as she stared blankly at him, trying to think of anything to say. Fortunately, Robbie continued regardless. "I think I'd go with that dude," he pointed to a rather burly teenager out on the dance floor, who was aggressively hopping to the beat.

Mabel found herself joining in on Robbie's bout of laughter, and considering this, she also found her nervousness fading. She took another tentative look at the list, before deciding that she didn't need it after all. "I'd probably go with that tall one over there," she said, motioning to a seven-foot tall teen doing the moonwalk. "Because, uh, tall people are really intimidating?"

"Yeah, like Gargantua from FV comics. You know, one of Lexicon Lady's rouges?" Robbie suggested, unaware of Mabel's heart skipping a beat from his response.

"You…read comics?" Mabel asked in barely restrained awe.

"Of course!" Robbie admitted with a chuckle. "I read them all the time when I was a kid before I got into music. I still read them when I can, though."

"You know, the girls at school used to tease me for liking those kinds of things," Mabel admitted with a small smile.

"Well, I'm glad that's no longer the case, Mabel," Robbie said supportively, unaware that Mabel formed a small blush.

"Thanks, R-Robbie," Mabel replied, lightly stammering.

"Huh, I guess we have more in common than I thought, Mabel; we both like comics," Robbie smiled broadly, unashamed of that fact. Mabel felt immense relief as she shared a warm laugh with Robbie, happy that they were able to bond over something Mabel had only found in one other person since she arrived in town.

Before their conversation could continue, the bathroom became available as an irate Gideon Northwest stormed out of it and returned to the party. "Whew, I'll be back soon," Robbie said to Mabel as he turned to head in. "Wait here for me?"

"Yeah, sure," Mabel nodded, happy to wait for him. After all, despite what was going through her head since she joined the party, she managed to uphold a genuine conversation with Robbie that didn't end with her embarrassing herself. If she could keep this up, then maybe she would finally get that dance with Robbie before the party ended.

"Hey!" Mabel's contented train of thought was suddenly broken as she turned to see nearly every one of her clones gathered behind her, all with unhappy expressions as Mina vocalized their frustration. "What are you doing here? Number 10 has been distracting Jenny with a fake CD of her favorite band! If she catches her, the plan will totally fall apart."

"You won't believe it, girls!" Mabel said happily, ignoring the harsh glares of her clones. "I bumped into Robbie by accident and things are going great!"

"Glad to hear it, but that's not the plan," Mina said, unamused as she subtly moved her left hand, much to Mabel's confusion. "Do we need to show you the plan again?"

In disturbing unison, the other Mabels all pulled their lists out, each reading a different step over each other as Mabel watched in slight discomfort. "Oh man, you girls sound crazy," Mabel frowned, taking a cautious step away from her angered clones. "Look, maybe…we don't need that plan anymore, okay? I should take a page out of Dipper's playbook and talk to him like a normal person, open and honestly.

The other clones gasped in shock, but Mabel-7 vocalized their feelings. "You bite your tongue, Mabel!"

"Ugh, how can you be this stupid?!" Mabel-9 asked crossly. "The plan's the only thing that'll get you close to Robbie!"

"If you're not going to stick to the plan, then maybe _**you**_ shouldn't be the Mabel that dances with Robbie," Mabel-5 coldly mused as the others agreed amongst themselves.

"Okay, I'd be freaking out right now, but you guys didn't get my powers after you emerged from the copier," Mabel admitted with a smug smile, unaware of what was coming for her. Suddenly, she noticed that one of the Mabels that had been with the group had disappeared, but she had no time to further question it as she felt a blunt object hit the back of her head. It didn't have enough force to knock her out, but she was powerless as she fell to the ground.

Mabel barely had enough strength to lift her head and saw Mina with Mabel-6 holding Robbie's guitar in her hands over her. Mina had a dark and unsettling expression on her face as she coldly knelt to Mabel's eyelevel and said, "I think we all knew that we were lying…"

With that, Mabel slipped into unconsciousness as Mina and the clones took her away.

Meanwhile, Connie had continued her fruitless search and let out a pensive sigh after spending a few minutes combing through the crowded party for her doppelgangers. It looked like she would be performing alone tonight, but all she wanted to do was make amends to her copies. As she lightly frowned, she heard a familiar voice behind her.

"Hey, Connie!" the young girl stopped in her tracked and spun around in shock as she heard her own voice call her out challengingly. Connie let out a gasp as she saw the trio of Connies behind her, all with bitter and angry expressions towards her.

"Connies! I'm glad you're here!" Connie said, relieved that she got the chance to talk to them. "Where were you guys? I wanted to…"

"Save it!" Connie-3 harshly interrupted as she casually tossed her hourglass up and down in her hand. "Let's just say…your plan failed…"

Connie gasped in shock as she watched even more Connies step out from behind the original trio, each one having gathered two more Connies of their own for a grand total of nine girls. The original Connie stepped away from the perturbed group fearfully, knowing how bad this situation was.

"We intend to perform later, but right now, we want revenge," Connie-4 explained with a mischievous smirk.

"And once we do, Steven will be all ours!" one of the other Connies spoke up. "He'll never be close to us as he is with you as long as you're here!"

"Wait, what are talking about?!" Connie asked, flabbergasted. "One: Steven's my friend, not my boyfriend! And two: I just wanted to say I'm…!"

"Stop interrupting!" Connie-2 remarked. "We can't get more Stevens…but we can get rid of _**one**_ Connie."

Acting quickly, the original Connie started to run away, only to stop dead in her tracks, much to her confusion. She then glanced and saw one of her alternate selves with her left hand on her matching temple, much to her horror.

"Did we forget to mention we got a Connie that still had your Womanotaur telekinesis?" Connie-3 said condescendingly.

With that, the alternate Connies discretely made their way out of the party with the trapped Connie, only to run into the Mabel clones carrying the unconscious Mabel on the way.

"Oh, hi Mabels!" the various Connies greeted amicably.

"Hey, Connies!' the group of Mabels replied, all sharing friendly grins, especially when they noticed the incapacitated Connie.

"Oh, looks like we're not the only ones that took care of our original selves," Mina mused, with the Connies sharing similar expressions towards them. "Any idea where to stash these two?"

"I know just the place," Connie-2 said coldly as she and her alternate selves led the Mabels to where she knew their original selves could stay until the party was over.

"Enjoy your stay!" Mina said playfully as the Mabels and Connies coldly threw their original selves into a portable toilet, with the telekinetic Connie locking the door before breaking the lock. Just for good measure, Mina slapped an "out of order" sign on the door from a neighboring one.

"Wait!" Connie cried out as she fruitlessly banged on the thoroughly locked door, which thankfully stirred Mabel back to consciousness.

"Connie? Ugh, what happened?" Mabel asked groggily as she did her best to stand up.

"Mabel, our clones have gone crazy! They teamed up and locked us in a room that's running out of air!" Connie explained, hastily adding the last sentence to persuade them to let them out.

"Nice try, but those things have good ventilation, Connie!" Mina responded, unfazed by Connie's attempt.

"We were nice enough to give you snacks and a coloring book, so you won't get bored!" Connie-2 called cheerfully. "It's just until the party's over, okay?"

Connie let out a defeated sigh as she promptly leaned on one of the walls and opened the pack of cheese and crackers the clones had left for them, sharing them with Mabel, who could barely stand after that level of head trauma. "Ugh, how could I have been so stupid?! Why didn't I just levitate them all when I had the chance?!" Mabel bitterly lamented, even as she enjoyed the snack.

"Don't beat yourself up over this, Mabel," Connie said sympathetically as she formed a confused expression. "I just can't believe how well they teamed up, no questions asked."

"Well, this might be the possible concussion talking, but it makes sense," Mabel shrugged, inwardly irate that she couldn't use her telekinesis right now. "None of them have a reason to be mad at each other like they do for us."

"Wait a minute…" Connie sat up, her eyes widening as she realized something important. "Mabel, I'm sure I've said this before, but you're a genius!"

Meanwhile, the clones of Mabel and Connie had been sharing an amicable discussion amongst themselves as they contemplated their next move.

"Thanks for the help, Mina!" Connie-2 grinned as she shook Mina's hand in celebration.

"No, no, Connies; thank _**you**_ ," Mina said casually before she turned to address the other Mabel clones. "Okay, so now that the original Mabel, or 'Mabel Classic' is out of the way, I nominate myself to dance with Robbie instead. I've been around the longest, so it should be me, right?"

"That's a good point, Mina," Connie-2 said to the other Connies. "That's why I think I should dance with Steven while the rest of you perform!"

The other Connies muttered amongst themselves as they considered this idea, while the Mabels continued discussing who their respective leader would be. "You make a fair point," Mabel-10 said to Mina. "But…I have a counterpoint; maybe I should dance with Robbie since I've been around here the least!"

"That makes, like, zero sense," Mabel-5 remarked, crossing her arms.

"You make zero sense!" Mabel-10 retorted crossly, giving number 5 a rough shove into Mabel-6.

"Hey, watch it!"

"Don't shove people!"

"I wouldn't have to if it wasn't for…"

Mabel-5 was abruptly cut off by the sudden, incoherent screeches of Paper Jam Mabel, who had somehow managed to follow them back from Ford's house. As Mina went to calm the disfigured clone down, the Connies watched on as the other Mabels continued to quietly argue amongst themselves.

"Golly gee," Connie-2 frowned as she turned back to the others. "It's a good thing we're all agreed, right?"

The others were hesitant to answer, but Connie-8 wasn't. "Uh…Connie? We're not so sure you should be in charge…or be the first one to dance with Steven."

"What?!" Connie-2 asked incredulously.

"Figuring out a leader was the whole reason we went back in time in the first place," Connie-3 pointed out. "We even dragged Connie-7 the day after the battle with Malachite to get payback on the original Connie."

"Yeah, and I'm the only one here with powers, so maybe I should dance with Steven, first!" Connie-7 said authoritatively.

"Nice try, but it should be me!" Connie-9 argued.

"No, me!"

"Me!"

"As if! I'm the obvious choice!"

"Hey, settle down!" Mina cut through both sets of clones' squabbles, a sudden realization occurring to her as she turned away from the jammed clone. "I just thought of something. Don't these kinds of portable toilets have emergency escape hatches at the top?"

"Yeah, why?" the remaining Connie and Mabel clones answered in unison, unaware of where Mina was going with this. Suddenly, they all turned towards their makeshift prison, only to notice that the hatch was open and when Connie-7 opened the door, it was empty.

"You know, we really should've remembered something like that," Connie-2 said to Mina, who could only face palm at this turn of events.

"Everyone, fan out! We need to find them before they ruin our plans!" Mina commanded as the groups split up amongst themselves, combing through the party for the original Mabel and Connie. Eventually, the entire group wound up at the beginning of the trail into the woods, far away from the party.

 **Gravity Falls Forest 9:37 PM**

"Huh, they're a slippery pair, aren't they?" one of the Mabels mused to Connie-6 inconspicuously as they traversed into the woods.

"You got that right, Mabel," Connie-6 said seriously. "But keep a lookout. Those guys could be anywhere and there might be Gem monsters around here."

"Well, I don't think we'll be staying for long…" Mabel said, suppressing a sly smirk. "Oh, by the way, Connie…could I see your hourglass? I'd love to see what it looks like."

"Oh, here you go," Connie said innocently as she nonchalantly fished it out of her pocket. "Just be careful, okay?"

"Whatever you say, girl," Mabel nodded as she took the small sphere in her hands before quickly spinning around. "Connie, now!"

"Huh?!" all the Connies exclaimed, though only one really understood.

"Hey, Mabel!" Connie tapped the should of the Mabel closest to her, which happed to be number 7. She turned around, but before she could respond, Connie quickly threw a cup of punch she had scavenged at the clone. "Sorry, but you started this!"

As all the copies turned to watch as Mabel-7 disintegrated on contact with the punch, the original took advantage of the moment and threw Connie-6's hourglass onto the ground. Once the sphere shattered, Connie-6 let out a panicked scream before dissipating into a sand-like substance. Chaos exploded amongst the clones as they lost two of their collective members, which only made it easier to single out the originals that blended into the group.

"There they are!" Mabel-10 declared, pointing to the originals, both intent on fighting back.

"Get them!" Connie-4 demanded, only for them all to stop dead in their tracks, much to their confusion. It wasn't until the original Mabel formed a smug expression that they all reached the same conclusion: she had trapped them in telekinesis.

"Nice try, but this game's over," Mabel stated as one-by-one, she flung her copies into Lake Gravity Falls, which disintegrated them upon impact. Once she was halfway done, she fished out the Connies' hourglasses from their pockets and effortlessly shattered them, which turned each of the Connies into a sand-like substance. Before she could finish them all off, in the throes of her disintegration, Connie-7 let out a telekinetic blast that disoriented Mabel enough to free the only members she hadn't dealt with yet: Connie-2 and Mina.

"Oh, boy," Mabel commented, knowing that she couldn't use her telekinesis for a while after Connie-7's blast.

"Time for payback!" Mina and Connie-2 declared as they lunged at the originals.

"Uh-oh…" Mabel and Connie said in worried unison, both dreading what was coming next.

 **Gravity Falls (Town Square) 9:50 PM**

Meanwhile, Dipper had been displaying incredible amounts of energy as he retained his bright smile to win the crowd over, which clearly worked. Showing off his freestyle dance moves had been a huge crowd-pleaser, and he could tell that every time he glanced in Gideon's direction, the rich boy was unamused.

" _We have time for one more song, boys and girls!"_ Jenny announced as Dipper took a break. _"And then its time for the bestowing of the party crown! But before we continue, let's all give a big hand for the man of the hour and our host: Prof. Ford Pines!"_ With that, Jenny hit a button on her DJ equipment, which let out the sound of thunderous applause to everyone's enjoyment. Ford had overheard the sound and formed a modest expression before he continued the tasks on his checklist, unaware that Lapis was playfully booing him for not willing to have fun at the party.

With an amiable smile, Dipper approached Gideon after exchanging confident grins with Steven, Candbury, and Greyson. Despite his original intentions, Dipper wanted to be a good sport about things, even if it went unrequited. "Gideon, I just want to say that no matter who wins, its been a pretty awesome party."

Gideon ignored Dipper's kindness as he let out a snide sneer, his nose turned up at the boy. "Please, like you ever had any chance of winning," Gideon coldly patronized. "I'm the true Prince of Panache, you pretender. This was over before it began."

Dipper's bright smile faltered as Gideon let out a haughty laugh as he sauntered off. Candbury, Greyson, and Steven quickly rushed over to comfort him, even though Dipper wasn't too fazed by Gideon's discouraging comments.

"Okay, I know this isn't like me, but that's it," Steven said rigidly, fed up with Gideon's behavior. "Dipper, you _**have**_ to win for us. I knew Gideon was a pain, but I don't like how he's treating you."

"Wow, Steven. Don't take this the wrong way but I didn't know you could be so…articulate," Dipper admitted with a slightly nervous smile. "It's amazing and a little scary at the same time."

"What can I say?" Steven replied as he crossed his arms and set a subtle, harsh glance towards Gideon. "I don't like it when someone hurts my friends."

 **Gravity Falls Forest 9:32 PM**

Without Mabel's telekinesis, both Mina and Connie-2 proved how capable they were than the other, now-disappeared, clones as Mabel and Connie were having a hard time contending with them. As each pair fought each other, they had unknowingly made their way within eyeshot of the party.

"Give me your hourglass, Connie!" Connie-2 shouted angrily, trying to steal it from her counterpart.

"No way!" Connie retorted defiantly. "Why do you even need them both anyway?!"

"That's for me to know and you to never find out!" the second Connie griped, even as the original shoved her away.

Simultaneously, both Mabels were slapping each other senseless, trying to wear each other down as much as they could to win the fight. Even though they were equally matched, Mina managed to inch ahead as she had a momentary advantage over the original. "Say it!" she fiercely demanded. "Say I can dance with Robbie!"

"Never! If I had my telekinesis right now, I would be kicking your butt!" Mabel exclaimed resiliently, unwilling to let her chance with Robbie to slip through her fingers again. Though their fight could've continued indefinitely, it soon came to a grinding halt when Mabel had successfully pinned Mina down and saw something that tugged at her heartstrings.

Mabel allowed Mina to get up and see what she was seeing, which made Mina feel as distraught as Mabel. Much to their despair, Wendy had returned and easily garnered Robbie's attention as the two of them were happily conversing and laughing. Both Mabels felt the same bitterness upon seeing this, knowing that one of them could have easily been out there with Robbie if they hadn't been so caught up in their petty battle instead.

As the Mabels wallowed in self-pity, Connie finally gained the upper hand over her counterpart, pinning her down and snatching her hourglass away with little effort. Connie-2 felt immense fear as she looked up at the original, knowing that her end was near. Yet, it was only when Connie held up the final hourglass and caught sight of her frightened copy's expression that clarity, as well as heavy guilt struck her. "I…I think I get it now…" she said quietly as she lowered the hourglass. Connie-2 frowned in confusion, but listened as the original one continued. "You were just a time-displaced me, lost in an alternate timeline, only longing for a purpose." Connie-2 was silent as she glanced to the side, clearly ashamed of her previous, antagonistic behavior. "I forgot that at the end of the day…you're still me. You have all the same wants and needs as me, but you don't know who you are if I'm here. But, it doesn't have to be this way."

Connie-2 shut her eyes tightly, anticipating that Connie would shatter the hourglass and send her to wherever her other copies went. However, she instead extended her hand out in offering, an apologetic smile on her face as she helped her counterpart off the ground. "Connie, I'm sorry…I got carried away… But I think this is yours."

Connie-2 smiled softly as she accepted the hourglass Connie was holding out to her. "It's cool, Connie. And I'm sorry, too. Especially about the whole, you know, trying to kill and replace you part…"

"Well, it looks like we all blew it tonight," Mabel said pensively as she and Mina joined the two Connies. The four of them shared a tired, saddened sigh as they sat together under a nearby tree, sitting in silence until Mina offered a suggestion.

"Hey, you guys in the mood for sodas back at grunkle Ford's house?"

"Sure," Connie shrugged as Connie-2 nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, why not," Mabel said, casting one last, longing glance at the party, knowing that her plan had failed in the end. "It looks like neither of us is in the mood for dancing anyway…"

 **Gravity Falls (Town Square) 10:00 PM**

The party had finally reached its end, which meant the ongoing competition was ending as well. Dipper and Gideon stood alongside each other onstage as the audience waited in rapt attention to see who would emerge the victor, including Ford. _"Let's all look at the Applause-O-Meter for the votes, cool cats and bunnies!"_ Jenny declared as she plugged in the device to accurately declare a winner.

"Good luck, _**Dippy**_ ," Gideon coldly mocked. "You're going to need it."

"Thanks, Gideon!" Dipper innocently replied. "Good luck to you too, dude."

The heir simply rolled his eyes as Jenny relayed the instructions to the audience. _"Put your hands together for Dipper!"_

As the boy had hoped, the crowd went wild for him. Canbury, Greyson, and Steven all howled their support from the front row, with Ford and Lapis joining in moments later. _"Let's look at the Applause-O-Meter!"_ Jenny declared as they all saw that the machine was almost completely in the green. _"Impressive score for Dipper, guys!"_

Dipper smiled broadly, content with how things were going so far. _"And now, for Gideon!"_ Jenny called, and compared to how they clapped for Dipper, the audience was clearly less enthusiastic about the heir. Unwilling to accept defeat, Gideon shot the audience a burning glare, his wealth and authority proving enough to get them to hesitantly support him louder.

" _Whoa, it's a tie!"_ Jenny declared, seeing that Gideon's score was the same as Dipper's.

Knowing that he was quickly losing ground, Gideon glanced around the room before coming up with a plan to ensure his victory. Before the crowd could simmer down, the heir rushed over to a nearby alley, pulling a dollar out of his pocket and waving it in front of Old Man McGucket, who'd been asleep for the duration of the party. The elderly man instantly awakened at the scent of nearby cash and was happy to let out a wild, rowdy cheer as he took the money, even if he had no idea what he was clapping for.

Jenny formed a small frown as the elderly man's cheering had been enough to give Gideon one point higher than Dipper's score. _"Cool cats and bunnies, we…we have a winner…"_ the teen said reluctantly, giving Dipper an apologetic look as she continued. _"The winner of the contest is…Gideon Northwest."_

Unsurprisingly, there was little fanfare as Gideon greedily claimed the party crown as his own, smirking triumphantly as he positioned it on his head. "Unbelievable!" Steven exclaimed to Candbury and Greyson, clearly angered. "Dipper totally should've won!"

"That's just how it works out for popular boys…" Candbury mused in disappointment.

"They a-a-always win," Greyson bitterly stammered.

"Thank you, Janna!" Gideon said to Jenny, unaware that he'd gotten her name wrong. "Thank you, everyone! You're all invited to the after-party on my parent's yacht! Let's go!"

Even though few people in the audience wanted Gideon to win, none of them wanted to pass up on the chance to party with the most famous family in Gravity Falls. The crowd happily chanted the heir's name as they carried him off and out of town square, which left the dance floor largely empty in their wake. Now, only Dipper, his friends, Jenny, Buck, Sour Cream, Lapis, and Ford were all that remained in attendance.

"Ugh, I still can't believe he beat you, Dipper," Steven said, slightly aggravated. "Still, you were awesome out there!"

"Thanks, Steven," Dipper grinned warmly. "But you can't win them all, I guess."

"I couldn't help but notice," Ford said as he joined the duo and placed a comforting hand on Dipper's shoulder. "I have to agree with Steven. You did a fantastic job and I wish I could've seen all of it."

"Thanks, grunkle Ford, but if you don't mind, I need to talk with Candbury and Greyson," Dipper said politely as he turned towards the duo with a slight remorseful expression. "Sorry I let you guys down. If you want to leave, I get it."

"Why would we leave? We're having a sleepover," Candbury said, a small smile appearing on his face.

"Wait, what?" Dipper asked in confusion.

"W-W-We're going to call our parents and see if w-w-we can have a sleepover with you," Greyson explained. "No one's ever stood up f-f-for us like that before!"

"I have an unsolvable Kriub's Cube!" Candbury grinned as he pulled out a mismatched cube from his left pants pocket.

"And m-my lizard can do tricks," Greyson offered as Mr. Scales hissed in affirmation.

"Guys…you're awesome!" Dipper gushed as he formed a warm smile.

"See, you don't need some dumb party crown to have friends, kiddo!" Lapis amicably stated as she playfully ruffled Dipper's hair, which brought a smile to the boy's face. "Steven can join in too…even though I won't be able to tell Jasper and Peridot."

"Oh, yeah. Where are they, anyway?" Steven asked in confusion, now noting their absence.

"Eh, some Gem mission and they didn't want me tagging along, which is why I came here, but they'll be back soon," Lapis halfheartedly explained before she turned towards Dipper and said, "So, how do you think the night went?"

"Considering this, it's been awesome!" Dipper affirmed as he warmly embraced Candbury and Greyson. "Jenny! You up for an all-night rager?!"

" _I thought you'd never ask!"_ Jenny grinned, already setting another track up.

"This is it!" Dipper proclaimed excitedly, already taking the dance floor as Candbury and Greyson joined him, with Steven and the others cheering them on. Even though he hadn't won the competition, Dipper knew he had everything he needed right now.

 **Ford's House (Rooftop) 10:03 PM**

The last two remaining Connies and Mabels hung out on Ford's rooftop for a while, all needing to calm their nerves and blow off steam after what had transpired tonight. They all sat in comfortable silence, each with a soda in hand, and watching the glowing stars high ahead in the peaceful, winter night's sky.

"Talk about your rough nights, huh?" Mina tiredly asked.

"Tell me about it," Connie-2 agreed as the others nodded.

"I'm just wrapping my head around what we went though back there," Connie frowned. "But at least it wasn't for nothing. I found out that I can be pretty domineering…"

"Eh, I wouldn't go that far," Connie-2 shrugged. "Your heart was in the right place; you just didn't express it properly."

"Hey, at least you guys didn't end up making huge fools of yourselves," Mabel said remorsefully before she addressed Mina. "I honestly think that sometimes, we don't have a chance with Robbie. I mean, he's 16, we're 12…"

"I don't know, girl," Mina said as she looked back towards the starry skies. "I hope so, but we're making no progress with the way we're doing it. The only good conversation you had with him was when you didn't bother with any of that list stuff."

"Wait, you guys made a list just to dance with Robbie?" Connie-2 asked as she formed an amused smile. "No wonder things didn't work out; that's way too complicated!"

"Like you were any better by going back in time to make a band," Mina remarked playfully under her breath.

"Still, you're right," Mabel admitted sheepishly. "Dipper was too. It looks like I really do get in my own way."

"Literally!" Mabel and Mina exclaimed in unison as the Connies laughed together.

"Speaking of which…" Connie said as she pulled out her hourglass. "Should we give these to the Gems, or Steven? I'm not sure what to do about these anymore…"

"We'll figure something out," Connie-2 said confidently, casually tossing her own hourglass up and down. "After all, maybe now we can be—" She stopped short as she accidentally caught it too tight, which shattered the hourglass in her palm. All four of them cringed when they saw the broken shards, with tears starting to fill the original Connie's eyes as she watched her last remining double dissolve into sand.

"Connie!" the young girl exclaimed in distress, clinging onto her quickly fading counterpart as the pair of Mabels stood by, watching helplessly.

"I-It's okay!" Connie-2 assured with a weak smile as her lower body melted away. "It would've been too jarring for mom and dad to suddenly have two kids."

"B-But what about the band or Steven?!" Connie cried desperately. "We could have—"

"Hey, don't be sad. If I know me, I know everything will work out okay!" Connie-2 reassured as the original dropped down to her knees, so they could be level with each other. "Take care of him, okay?" Connie-2 advised as she gave her counterpart a thumbs-up, mere moments before she disappeared entirely. " _Sayonara!_ "

Connie's hands were trembling as the last of Connie-2 spilled out of her hands and dissipated into nothingness. "Goodbye…my friend…" Connie muttered despondently, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Oh, man…" Mabel said with a sympathetic expression as she put a consoling hand on the young girl's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Connie."

"Yeah, but its not all bad," Mina said with a reassuring smile. "At least she'll always be a part of you…or something like that…" Realizing she failed to be poetic, Mina took an awkward sip of her soda without thinking. She soon realized her mistake however, as she stole a glance down at her stomach only to realize that a hole was starting to melt through it. "Oh, boy… Don't look now…"

Mabel and Connie gasped in alarm as they watched Mina begin to melt. "Mina!" Mabel exclaimed in sudden panic. "Not you, too!"

"It's okay, girl," Mina said, putting up the same kind of dignity that Connie-2 had at the end. "I had a good run. Just remember what we talked about!"

"O-Of course," Mabel choked, accepting Connie's hand on her shoulder as the young girl moved to comfort her now.

"And quit being so skittish around Robbie, okay?" Mina advised, even though she was almost melted away by now. "For my sake!"

The final clone's words still lingered even as he was reduced to nothing more than a puddle. "Mina…" Mabel sighed sadly. "You were the only one who understood…" As a show of respect to her fallen clone, Mabel poured some of her soda onto Mina's remains before taking a sip herself. Likewise, Connie decided it was best to honor her copy by stomping on her hourglass, knowing that it wasn't worth all the trouble it had caused.

"I'm really going to miss them…" Connie said with a forlorn frown. "Wherever they are, I hope they're happy."

"Yeah, m-maybe…" Mabel said uncertainly, unsure of what became of either of their clones when they met their ends. "Still, this has been an insanely rough night. Do you want to head back to the party? It's better than staying up here."

"Yeah, and I've learned something important; don't screw with time," Connie agreed, only to form a small smile. "Hey, that gives me an idea! Come on!"

Mabel nodded, letting the young girl descend from the first as she lingered behind for a moment and pulled her list of her pocket one last time. Mina's parting words resonated with Mabel enough that she quickly tore up the list and watched as its pieces were scattered to the wind with a small, relieved smile. "Hey, Connie!" she called out after the young girl hurried down the roof herself to return to the party. "Wait up!"

 **Gravity Falls (Town Square) 10:15 PM**

" _Can't you see it in our eyes?"_ Connie sang with a bright smile as she played her violin, more than pleased with what Steven did to replace her band. _"We're the one, we're the—one!"_

" _Two!"_ Jasper called with a smirk, showing off her skill on the drums.

" _Three!"_ Peridot sung out, hitting every note on her synthesizer perfectly.

" _Four!"_ Lapis shouted, strumming to the rhythm of their song on her guitar.

" _We're not like the other guys…"_ Connie continued, looking out at her relatively small audience. Since most of the partygoers had already left, the Pines', Steven, Jenny, Robbie, Candbury, Greyson, Sour Cream, and Buck watched intently at their performance.

" _We're not like anybody!"_ Lapis harmonized on Connie's cue.

" _By the way, don't go back in time,"_ Connie sung, deciding to put a meaningful spin on her rewritten song. _"Or you'll destroy yourself!"_

" _Connie and the Crystal Gems! We're going to make you smile!"_

As Connie and the Gems continued to perform, Steven flashed Connie a warm smile, mildly disappointed that they hadn't danced together, but grateful that he was hearing her sing so passionately. The rest of the group, even Ford, danced to the tune in their own unique way, which was good news for Mabel. Even if it wasn't an official "dance", Mabel managed to dance near Robbie at the very least, and considering what she'd been through tonight, that was good enough for her.

" _I accidentally created so many alternate timelines!"_ Connie proclaimed, unaware of Peridot's confused and concerned glance towards her upon hearing this. _"Connie and the Crystal Gems! Come on now, don't be shy!"_

The young girl took in a deep breath as she geared up for the grand finale, even as everyone already prepared to applaud her. Yet it hardly mattered to Connie, who was merely content with her audience, especially Steven. _"I learned to stay true to myself, but watching myself die…"_

 **AN: Well, this took longer than I expected, but I still had a great time writing this. The next one will probably be a while, but I'm truly grateful for all your support during this time. It's still an honor and pleasure to do this, Minijen, and I'll continue to do my best.**

 **So, rate, review, and I'll be back with the next chapter as soon as I can. The next one should be Bottomless Pit, but I want to do an original chapter to take its place. The only thing I'm saying is that see what happens when everyone else is on a mission. And since I likely won't update for a while, Happy Holidays!**

 **Next time—Chapter 10: Tales of Gravity Falls**


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